


Bound to the Enemy

by Varmint



Category: Naruto
Genre: Akatsuki!Kiba, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Deceit, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fights, Friendship, Hidan Being Himself, Hidan's mouth, How Do I Tag, Kidnapping, Lies, M/M, Manipulation, Missions, Multi, POV Multiple, Rape, Sad with a Bittersweet Ending, Survivor Guilt, Torture, Underage Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:09:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 44
Words: 188,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6906244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varmint/pseuds/Varmint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team 8 was assigned a simple C-ranked mission to protect a merchant on her way back to her village. This easy mission, though, took a turn for the worse when they were ambushed by a large group of mercenaries that decided to keep them for entertainment. When faced with an impossible choice, Kiba makes a decision that he knew would hurt more than just himself. </p><p>Or that story where Kiba joins the Akatsuki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_Prologue:_

_"Aren't you three just the sweetest things to ever come across this camp?"_

_Kiba hated the man's voice. The leader of the large group of rogues and bandits that had caught Team 8 unaware was the perfect picture of absurd arrogance and narcissism. And he was the very person that had ordered he, Shino, and Hinata into this hell._

_"Don't you dare touch them!" Kiba shouted as he tried to jump all the way towards the rogues leader, only to have his arms pulled back harshly by the men holding on tightly to him. "I'll fucking kill you!"_

_His voice was hoarse, tired, and sounded almost nothing like Kiba's normal tone of voice. That would happen after non-stop screaming._

_But instead of being even a bit worried at the extremely serious threat the young ninja snarled at him, the leader only chuckled grandiosely and moved so he stood right in front of a bound Hinata, who was luckily enough passed out and not going to be traumatized by the sight of all these bastards ogling at her. "I think... I'm going to keep_ this _one for myself." He smiled menacingly as he passed a finger across the girl's cheek, then turned to Kiba with a smirk on his face. "But you and your little bug friend I think I'll leave for my men to do as they please."_

 _"Don't you dare!" Kiba growled, jumping and shoving so he could try and loosen himself from the grip the men behind him had on him, "You touch a single hair on her head and it's_ your _head! You hear me, you bastard!?"_

_"It seems someone's forgotten just who's tied up and who's in charge here, huh, boys?" The man called out theatrically, as if this were all just some show to him and the dog-nin was just some actor._

_Quite frankly, Kiba couldn't stand this boisterous leader. To the boy, it seemed as if the man treated the world as his stage and the men around him as supporting characters for whatever play he was imagining in his head. And if he could barely stand Naruto's dramatics back when the boy was still in the village, he knew for a fact he would never stand this man's stupidity if he weren't tied up and restrained like he was._

_Shino was being held right beside Hinata for he too had passed out due to over exertion and from wounds. Kiba had been the only one that had managed to continue fighting, but that was only after he had sent Akamaru off with the merchant they were supposed to protect to keep her safe and away from these criminals._

_"Listen to me and listen to me good,_ puppy _," The man spit out with a sick smirk, all the while he sauntered towards Kiba only to grab him harshly by the chin and force the boy to look at him, "You are now my play things. You and your two friends. You are toys to amuse me and my men."_

_Kiba hissed and bit at the man all the while he tried to force his head out of his hands, but all that caused was for the man to let go of him and slap him harshly with his other hand. Kiba's head lashed to the side at the sheer force behind the hit and the boy was left dazed and in pain for a moment. Then, once he was good again, he saw the man already retreating and making his way over to Shino's unconscious body._

_"These two can be thrown into the cages. I want that one-" He yelled, suddenly turning around to point directly at Kiba, who glared and growled at the man, "To be the first to experience how we amuse ourselves out here in the middle of nowhere!"_

_At being singalled out for that purpose, Kiba's eyes widened and he began to regret having remained conscious even after his teammates had fallen. Just what would these men do to him? How would they entertain themselves?_

_He screamed, hissed, growled, and cursed the men around him as he saw Shino and Hinata taken away from him, away to a place he couldn't see, but he began to fight and struggle as he was moved as well. "Let me go before I kill you!" He yelled, snapping at a hand that got too close to his face to bite down on it harsh enough to draw blood._

_This latest injury caused by the boy warranted another harsh punch to his face that left him dazed enough to transport without much more struggling on his part. Soon enough he was transported into the very middle of the large site that was these men's headquarters and there the young ninja found his wrists being tied to his back, while his legs were forced open and tied to posts on the floor._

_"Let me go!" He tried yet again, but the men around him only chuckled and snickered at his struggles. "I swear you will all regret this once I'm free!"_

_"Who wants first try with the mutt?"_

_Kiba winced when he saw that all of the men moved forward eagerly, but the leader's voice stopped the men in their tracks._

_"Why don't we give him over to the man responsible for this great hit?" He announced, which sent the man into a round of thunderous applause and cheers._

_Honestly, he hated all of these men. If only he could get free, he'd show them that he would not go down without a fight. And when he did go down, he'd be taking a few of the bastards with him._

_In a matter of seconds, one blonde haired man emerged from the large mass of unruly men, clapping his hands with some of the men around him with a large and threatening smile plastered on his face. And as the man came nearer and nearer to Kiba, the young ninja couldn't help but wish for a miracle at the moment._

_Then, as the man began to fiddle with his belt, Kiba looked up at the sky and cursed merchant's and supposedly C-ranked missions._

_The only thing that brought him any comfort was that he had managed to keep his promise to Akamaru. The dog was far away and would not get hurt by these criminals. And the small animal would not see the terrors unleashed on his master._


	2. Deep Cuts

He couldn't feel his arms. This was the first thing Kiba noticed when he woke up after having fallen unconscious the night before.

Not only could he not feel his arms, but he also had a pounding headache that threatened to split his skull in half, along with what he _could_ feel of his body aching something terrible. His legs felt like lead and there was a dull ache that went all the way from his waist down to his knees and the young ninja honestly did not want to think about what that ache could mean.

Just what had happened the past night?

He could vaguely remember having been in the middle of a ferocious fight. But he could not, for the life of him, remember what had come after the fighting.

A soft groan left the dog nin's lips as he tried to open his eyes, only to find that the bright sunlight above him only helped to worsen his already bad headache.

"What the hell?" He muttered softly as his face twisted up in pain and he ground his teeth tightly together.

As he said this, he noted a type of subdued burning around his mouth. Immediately, he worried as to just why he could feel that, then began to open and close his mouth slowly, only to find that his jaw ached just as bad as his head did.

With a hurried hiss, the young boy chanced a glance down at himself and immediately regretted that decision. His pants were nothing more than just tattered fabric around his waist. His thighs were mottled with all types of bruises and cuts and he could tell very well that some of them were hand-print indentations, which meant they had been made by somebody holding onto him violently.

He had fallen to his knees at one point during the night but even though he couldn't see his feet, he knew they were missing their shoes and had been cut on the underside. The young boy could feel the various cuts and bruises along his body slowly come to life and begin to throb, as if trying to alert him to the fact that he was wounded.

But he didn't regret looking down at himself because of only what he found below his waist. He also regretted it because of what he found _above_ his waist.

Three long gashes that might have been made by a sword or sharp object of that like ran all the way from the left side of his chest to the right and were bleeding at the moment. They weren't deep cuts so he didn't have to worry about bleeding out, but they weren't too shallow either.

Aside from those gashes, more bruises and shallower and smaller cuts ran all the way up his body, along with hand-shaped imprints that were undoubtedly caused by someone holding on too tightly to him.

The boy's mouth opened to a vicious sneer at the look of all the injuries he had sustained then tried to shake his arms to life.

The chains that bound both his wrists together jangled and jingled at the boy's movements. But, at suddenly hearing the noise of chains rattling together, Kiba's vicious movements froze and his eyes widened and his mouth dropped the sneer.

The rattling of chains... He had heard that a lot last night.

Those chains around his wrists had rattled when one of the many men that had hurt him grabbed him harshly by the arms and-and-and...

"No!" Kiba's scream was blood curdling and painful, for both the person that originated the noise and those with consciences that might have heard him.

He wanted to go back to two minutes ago when he was still blissfully unaware of what had happened to him. Tears began to form in his eyes as a sudden downpour of previously locked up memories fell down on him and forcefully reminded him of everything he had experienced last night. One by one, the minutes of agony he had spent being tortured by the men came back. And, one by one, they managed to cut him up inside as the man had done to him outside.

How could so many men hold so much evil in their hearts?

A soft, choked sob made its way past the dog nin's lips without his permission as he closed his eyes tightly and bowed his head, lowering himself so his forehead almost touched the floor beneath him.

That was when he began to hear sounds of the camp stirring to life and tent flaps being thrown open carelessly.

"Good morning, little pup!"

Kiba growled and sneered at the man that had allowed the criminals around him to use him the way they had. Even with the tears threatening to spill from his eyes, the young ninja still showed a viciousness and mettle very few people in the world could ever hope to achieve. All he wanted to do was make the man feel all the pain he had made the young ninja experience.

One full night of pain. One whole night of having men use and abuse him in so many different ways that all Kiba really wanted was to forget everything that had happened. One entire night of having the hate and pain inside of him fester to a point that if he was released, the first thing he would do would be lunge directly at the bastard's throat.

"Did you have a good night?" He asked mockingly, moving so he stood right in front of the Inuzuka heir with his arms crossed over his chest. "Maybe today we can start that bug friend of yours off."

All the fight and anger that had been bubbling up inside of Kiba ever since he remembered what had happened the night before immediately left his body at the clear threat.

He couldn't allow any of this to happen to Shino! He wouldn't allow it! If he was in so much pain... There was no _way in hell_ he would ever let any perverted bastard like the ones here to even lay one goddamned _finger_ on his best friend.

But what could he do? They had all been captured and tied up. He was in _no shape_ to fight anyone, and he doubted either of his friends were any better off. He wouldn't be able to use his wrath and strength to get out of this problem... So he would have to use his head...

What did these men want? Entertainment. What did Kiba want to avoid? His friends becoming said entertainment. So... If he was able to offer those entertainment services to them they would have no reason to use his friends...

"Wait!" He choked for a moment, then growled at his voice showing how distraught he was and cleared his throat. "I meant... Wait a minute... D-Don't do anything to them, please..."

The man's hideous face adopted a proud smile at Kiba's soft words, which were a complete change from what he had first experienced from the boy. He looked so utterly broken, and after just _one_ night. In the inside, he was a bit disappointed the boy had broken so easily. But he was more than happy to see that the boy was smart enough to catch on to what was going to happen, be it to him or his friends.

"I..." Kiba drifted off for a moment, then breathed in deeply and closed his eyes tightly. "Please. Don't hurt them... I'll do _anything_."

"Anything?" The leader repeated, moving his hands so they were on his hips. "Tell me, _mutt_ , have you finally found your proper place?"

Kiba's mouth turned down into a heavy frown at that, but soon gasped when he found harsh hands suddenly gripping his hair and forcing him upwards. The leader's rough hand carried him up all the way until his knees were just a bit above the ground and he was forced to look directly into his cold and unfeeling gray eyes.

"You may wear a head band, but you are nothing more than a disgrace to your village. Those marks on your face are undeserved. You don't _deserve_ to belong to a clan if you've broken after only _one_ night." The man then spit into the boy's face and allowed him to fall onto the floor gracelessly, which left the boy's face in the dirt with spiteful tears threatening to spill. "But a deal is a deal. You give us your body, your friends remain safe."

Kiba groaned and gasped at the pain that ran all along his body, a pain that was both emotional and physical, then heard footsteps as the man began to walk away. Once more he was alarmed and he pushed his upper body up to kneel, then called at the man's form, "Can I see them?!"

His only answer was a dark chuckle from the man.

A few minutes later, the rest of the men around the camp began to stir and the boy felt his heart clench in fear. He knew that they would come back to hurt him. It was their right now.

Much to his surprise, though, instead of going towards Kiba the first chance they got, the men instead met at one point of the camp, a point he could not see clearly because it was covered by so many tents, but he _was_ able to hear the shouts of joy and happiness that came from the man after the leader's voice told them of something he didn't quite catch.

He wondered just what might have made the men cheer like they had the past night, but he got his answer when a spindly looking man with goggles over his eyes and tattered clothing draping his lithe body came over to him with bandages and a plate of food.

"You are an idiot." The older man told him, all the while he began to unwrap the bandages. "Friends are good for nothing here. I give you two days with this 'deal' you made. Then you'll be turning on your friends and telling us to use them instead."

Kiba glared dangerously at the white haired man, baring his canines at the man, "Don't count on it. I _have_ honor. And there's no way in hell I'd let my friends go through this hell."

The man shook his head and chuckled coldly, then harshly rubbed some type of ointment onto Kiba's wounds, which made the boy yell out in pain.

"That's what you say now, kid... That's what you say now..."


	3. Routines

Back in Konoha, Kiba had grown used to a rather decent routine.

He would wake up in the mornings, argue with his mother about something completely trivial, talk complacently with Hana, eat breakfast with Akamaru, then run out for training with his team. After intense training that lasted all day, the group would then head on over to Ichiraku's to enjoy some ramen- some times with Kurenai Sensei, most without her, though- and once they had finished eating, Kiba would return home, feed Akamaru and play with the rest of the dogs in the compound, go to sleep, and repeat. In between these moments, he was able to take care of his hygiene, his body, and his mind, and he could be happy.

His new routine was nothing like what he had once lived and thrived with.

The old routine had been calm, placid, and comforting. This new one was... It was a literal hell.

 _Four_ _days_. Four days had passed since he had made the deal with the leader of the gang for them to not harm his teammates. Now, though, Kiba understood fully just why the older man had told him he would be wishing to throw his friends under the bus the first chance he got in no time.

The boy's body was bruised, battered, sore, and he had stopped thinking about what the men had done to him a day ago when the leader of the rogues began to mock him for his tears. The man was right. He had brought this deal upon himself. And he shouldn't be such a bitch about it. Besides, all the tears he could have shed were depleted by the third day.

Even though he despised all of the men in this camp with a burning passion, Kiba stubbornly held on to the belief that he had done the right thing. He hopelessly and- one could say- even childishly grasped on to the belief that by sacrificing his body to protect his friends, he had done the right thing. Futilely, the boy urged himself into telling his own mind that Shino and Hinata needed to be protected from a fate like his own, for they were not as strong as he was.

Almost religiously, the dog nin would remind himself of the kind and soft-spoken Hyuuga that stuttered with almost every sentence, a girl that would undoubtedly break down if what was done to him was done to her. Routinely, Kiba would think about how even though Shino tried to maintain a 'silent strong type' of aura around him, his fellow teammate was nothing more than a scared teenager without a clue to the world. One that would not be able to withstand the damaging hell Kiba now found himself in.

A small voice in the back of his head whispered to him that he too was a scared teenager, but Kiba always pushed that voice to the very back of his mind and ignored it. Sure, maybe Shino _might be_ tough enough to deal with what these men did to Kiba now, but the Inuzuka knew there was one clear deciding factor as to which of them would be the one to take the abuse.

Between he and Shino, they both would be able to deal with this, if the choice was ever to be made. Hinata would never be a candidate for this type of pain because she was so fragile, but either of the boys were front runners.

The one great reason as to why Kiba had insisted Shino not be hurt was because of two very great factors. First, Kiba loved the boy dearly. Even though they didn't always get along, Kiba had come to see Shino as his best friend in Konoha and would much rather walk through burning coals and sharp spikes than have Shino do the same. Second, Kiba was awake to strike the deal.

Without any doubt in his mind, Kiba knew that if Shino had been faced in the same situation as Kiba had been, with both of his teammates knocked out and in peril of being raped and tortured, the bug nin would, without any hesitation, strike a deal similar to what Kiba did. He would sacrifice himself for his friends.

Shino was just as careless as he. And they both were dead set on protecting Hinata to the end's of the earth.

It was because of this that Kiba found disgust within himself by the third day of being used and hurt by the men. On more than one occasion he had caught himself cursing his big mouth. More than once, he had to scold himself for finding himself about to wish that he had never struck up this deal. And too many times he had to stop himself from not only hating the men hurting him, but also his weak teammates for not having been able to fight until the very end.

As the days continued, and the tortures and rapes as direct consequence to that, Kiba had grown to resent everyone in the camp. The leader was at the very top of his hated list because of rather obvious reasons, but also because of how he had made Kiba feel.

_"Perfect bitch."_

_"Crying already? You haven't even gone through a sixth of my men!"_

_"You are no ninja. You are no genin. You deserve no title."_

Then there was one time in which the leader had decided to join in on the fun his men were having... Kiba had never sobbed so much in all the time he had been used until that ugly man placed his emaciated fingers on the boy's lithe hips and began to have fun with him. Not only did he bruise his body worse than his men had, he cut, raped, and tortured Kiba in a manner that finished breaking the boy. This happened on the very day that Kiba stopped crying for good.

He stopped crying after the man threw him onto the floor with a terrible smirk on his face. The last tears he shed in that place began to come down at a slower pace than before as the man mocked Kiba and his Inuzuka blood line- calling the young boy nothing more than a common whore whose only true calling in life was to spread his legs- then Kiba noticed that no more tears would come down.

Gasping and panting, with his head against the floor and his ass up in the air, Kiba closed his eyes tightly and found that there were no more tears left inside of him.

"You're a good little bitch." The leader had cooed out as he leaned down to ruffle the boy's hair, then chuckled in victory when Kiba didn't even move his head to try and bite him, much like he would have tried to do before.

Instead of moving to bite the man, Kiba only kept his face to the ground and ground his teeth tightly. He had no idea why the tears had stopped, but he was honestly thankful for it. At least he had shown a bit of growth and resilience at having stopped crying by the end of the leader's play time with him.

It would take him some time, but eventually the Inuzuka would figure out fully just why he had stopped crying then. And also why he suddenly felt so hollow and alone within himself.

There were others he hated, though. Like the white haired man that came to patch him up every morning at the crack of dawn with a sadistic smile on his face when he saw what new injuries Kiba had sustained. He also hated the blonde man that had gotten first dibs on his body those days ago, the man that had supposedly informed this group of rogues of the small caravan made up of his team and the merchant they were to protect. He despised the brute of a man that seemed to want nothing more than tear him apart from the inside out. And he wished a slow and painful death on just about every single person in the camp site.

Though, there were two he had only just begun to hate that he wished with every fiber of his being to be able to repress those horrible feelings... Actually, no... The more he thought about it, he was able to see that it wasn't hate but more like... A type of resentment, maybe.

Shino and Hinata.

The resentment he felt for them was nothing compared to the one he felt for the men inside of the camp. It was a soft burn, as if the embers of the wildfire that he knew as hate were only beginning to be kindled, so he wasn't sure if he could formally call it hate. If anything, it was annoyance that was slowly becoming a full on disapproving type of dislike towards the fact that they hadn't been able to fight like he had. So, really... He didn't _hate_ his teammates... He just strongly disapproved of the fact they had not fought as hard as he had. He strongly resented the fact that they weren't beside him, feeling the same pain he did... No. He couldn't think that. He loved his friends. He had _protected_ them from his own fate.

There were so many feelings and emotions raging inside of him that Kiba honestly wondered just why he felt so hollow... But no matter how much he thought on his teammates and his love for them, he still felt... _Alone?_ No. He couldn't have possibly felt that. He was surrounded by bastards the whole day. By bastards and their damned leader.

Soon after that one moment, that small lapse in time where the leader used him, Kiba noticed the new routine he had fallen into. During the first three days, he had still been too busy crying to fully notice it. But now that he had stopped crying, he could see it clearly.

Every morning now, instead of waking up to argue amicably with his mother and eat a good breakfast, he was encountered with the face of that white haired man that seemed to derive the most joy from caring crassly for the injuries on the boy, rather than causing them. Actually, now that Kiba thought about it, he had never seen this man near him if it weren't for when he took care of his many injuries.

He was able to meet just about all kinds of freaks now that he was stuck inside this campsite.

Now, rather than going to the training field to strengthen his abilities and get better, he would receive a small ration of stale bread with rancid water as breakfast, then he'd be hauled up from his knees in the middle of the camp by two strong men. Then, once they had a strong grip on him, they'd move his hands so they were tied in front of him, then hang him from a hook attached to a rather tall pole to his right. Once he was hanging above the ground by just an inch- an inch that ensured he would not be able to stand to gather any leverage from his feet- the blonde man he had come to hate with a passion would head over and inspect him for some reason. Kiba had not questioned why. He didn't care.

After the man had nodded to himself about something or another, he'd wave another man over and Kiba's day of being used and abused would fully start then. He had stopped paying attention to the faces that hurt him quite some time ago. The many men that came and went just weren't the effort it would take to learn their different characteristics and what separated them from the large pack.

Kiba didn't want to waste the effort in trying to do something so stupid.

Back in his home, he was cared for. He felt love. Now all he felt was pain and hate. These men hadn't even allowed him the luxury of a bath since the day they had captured him and Kiba wasn't sure why. Maybe it was another way of them humiliating him... He didn't care much for that anymore.

Only four days for the Inuzuka to break... He was despicable...

So now, on the fourth day, Kiba looked up at the white haired man through lazy and slightly lidded brown eyes, the only thoughts going around his head being _'I wonder where these guys are keeping Shino and Hinata... It must be under a tight lock and key if I have yet to hear any struggles...'_

The white haired man smiled broadly at Kiba as he finished wrapping up a rather deep cut on his side, patting it harshly once he was done. The pat received a wince from Kiba, but the boy said nothing more after that.

"Boss man wants you all good for tonight. You've got yourself a free day ahead of you. Asked me to show you a bit around the grounds."

Kiba didn't even have enough fight left in him to try and threaten him.

* * *

Two shadowed figures stood on the canopy of trees with the foliage keeping them hidden. Both were tall, but the cloaks they wore hid any kind of muscle their bodies might have had.

"Why do we have to deal with these pests again?"

"Because they are bad for business. I already explained."

With an annoyed grunt the man with the large sword strapped to his back crossed his arms and hissed, "So we're stuck on pest control? Just great."

His companion, whom had long hair tied into a ponytail, made no sound of displeasure. Instead he only shook his head slightly, "We wait for midnight."

No more words were shared between them afterwards.


	4. First Decision

The day passed in a blur of lack of pain that left Kiba's chest clenching tightly on itself in fear of what might happen.

 _No one_ touched him. Not _one single man_ in the camp dared lay a finger on him, even though he knew that more than one glanced his way and sent him their own interpretation of a lecherous sneer. Well, of course, none but the medic that decided to give him the grand tour of the camp.

He had grown accustomed to the pain that they brought him. By now, the pain had been slightly comforting. With how hollow he felt, the pain allowed him to remember he was still alive, no matter how stupid that might have been.

But now that there was no pain, the overwhelming sense of being alone began to well up in him and even swallow him up.

Akamaru was- hopefully- safe with the merchant in her native village. Hinata and Shino were both being held in a different side of the camp and while he hoped they weren't hurt like he was, he knew that at least he hadn't heard their screams of pain in any moment. The other people in his life that he cared about were all back in the village, completely oblivious to the pain he and his team were being subjected to.

But four days had passed in a C-Ranked mission that was supposed to have only taken five to go and come back from. If he held on for a bit longer, he could expect search parties to be sent. If he could just hold out for a little more, then maybe he'd be saved from this hell on earth.

From the center of the encampment, Kiba was dragged into a large tent a few feet away from his past spot. The white haired man told him that this tent was were the leader slept along with his most trusted enforcers. After that, he lugged Kiba over what he proclaimed was his tent, which was a bit bigger than most of the tents to find in this place, but much smaller than the leader's. Apparently, he was the medic to the rogues and so deserved their respect.

His day was spent in that manner. With his legs threatening to fall under his weight, the medic managed to pull him all over the encampment while pointing out any and everything he deemed interesting. He even managed to get Kiba to snort once or twice on some snide comment about one of the men around them. His chest heaved painfully as he was forced to move for the first time in days, along with injured legs that had been slashed, burned, and cut up horribly. All in all, walking where this man wanted to take him was a great feat to undertake.

After he was forced around every single place of importance, the white haired man forced him to walk back to the giant tent in the camp, the leader's. When finally inside, Kiba was forced to sit down in the very center of the tent and then was given his dinner. Hours had passed since he had awoken to the white haired man bandaging him up. The sun had seemed just about ready to set when he was still outside.

His whole day had been spent on a glorified field trip around the grounds.

For once, the food he was given was not inedible. It was a piece of roasted chicken and getting to be stale bread, but it was something akin to a feast when compared to the scraps he had been given before.

The sinking feeling in his stomach only got worse at how good his meal was. If they were actually treating him like a human then they were planning something horrible.

Once he had finished eating, the leader of the group entered the tent with a group of about fifteen men behind him. One of them was the blonde that had thrown Kiba into this hell. Aside from them, he knew that there were four more men in here that presumably worked as servants.

"Please, my men, make yourselves comfortable." The leader announced with a charming smile, waving his arms to the sides to signal them to sit in the various mats located all across the large place.

This tent was akin to one that might be used by royalty. It was odd, really, to see something so lush and grand that belonged to mongrels like the men Kiba was surrounded by.

It took only a few minutes before all the men were comfortable in their spots and facing Kiba and the leader, whom now stood over the young boy with a comfortable smile in place.

"Drinks? Drinks for any of you?" He asked with actual desire to give coming from his voice, which managed to actually surprise Kiba but the boy did not allow his face to show it. A few of the men nodded and one of the skinniest men in the room began to serve them, while the rest shook their heads. "How about you, boy?" The leader asked, turning to Kiba. "A nice shot to help ease the pain?"

On the inside, Kiba thirsted for a drop of anything that might help him get rid of the pain. But he knew better than to take anything that was offered by _this_ man. He could trust the medic to a certain degree. But the leader could not be trusted at all.

Kiba kept his head down and his knees drawn up to his chest with his arms wrapped around his legs. Instead of giving the man any answer, he kept his silence up. He knew the men would know that this was his way of saying no.

"Whatever you want, bitch." The leader said in a tone that was not laced in anger or hate, but instead sighed as if it was not an insult. "Please settle down so we may begin this small meeting. I have a great announcement to make!"

A few more minutes passed before all of the men were seated with drinks in hand and actually paying attention to their leader. But once he was sure all eyes were on him, the overly dramatic man began to speak in his grandiose way.

"In a moment of pure luck, our greatest scout, Hisato here, found us a small group to target." The ugly man began, motioning to the blonde man that waved at the cheers and claps that came from the men around him. "Even though the only merchant from the group managed to escape, we were able to keep the best treasure the caravan brought with them. This young man." The leader smiled down at the boy, a lecherous and disgusting smile that made Kiba's insides turn uncomfortably. "Kiba Inuzuka."

At the mention of his name, the dog nin couldn't help but wonder just what filthy plan the boastful leader had come up with for his torture.

It came as a slight shock to the teenager to hear that the blonde man that had first used him had an actual name. To him, all of these men were vile and foul. The very thought of them maybe being human had always been one he tried to avoid. To see them as human would be to admit that they weren't the grotesque demons he had chosen to see them as over the past few days. And to not see them as demons, to see them as actual people, would further shatter Kiba's fragile hope.

"I am very sure that you are all more than pleased with the services the Inuzuka bitch has given us all... But I have decided that the young boy deserves a small break from our constant use." The man announced and now Kiba couldn't keep the shock away from his face. He looked up at the man with wide eyes, foolishly allowing emotions onto his face. The man smiled down at him in a way that let Kiba knew he enjoyed seeing Kiba's earnestness.

There was a flutter of voices that piped up at the odd words that came from the man, but none of the men directly voiced their concerns to the man. Instead they hushed after ten seconds or so and allowed the man to continue speaking. They were just as well trained as Kiba was becoming.

"How about we afford young Kiba the chance to feel the very pleasure he gives you?" The man continued theatrically and Kiba's heart began to sink lower than it had before. "Please, Medic, bring in the two lucky candidates! Give a round of applause for the lucky two that might be picked by Kiba to use for his wants and needs!"

The front flap of the tent billowed open and in walked the man with the white hair with an almost deranged smile on his face. The people that came in after him were enough of a reason for Kiba to whine deep in his throat. Tears rose in his eyes at the idea the man's words had painted in his brain... He couldn't do what the man wanted him to do! There was no way!

"His teammates!" The leader almost cheered as the men around him began to cheer, whoop, and clap as both teenagers were forced to enter the tent.

Their hands and feet were shackled and their movements restricted, but from what Kiba could see, they looked they same they had the last time he saw them. That meant that maybe the men had kept to their promise of only using Kiba for their fun. Hinata kept her head down but Kiba knew from the soft shudder of her shoulders that she was barely restraining tears. Shino, on the other hand, kept his gaze calm and collected as he looked all around the tent from behind his sunglasses.

Yet, when the teen's eyes fell on the fallen boy in the middle of the room, Shino couldn't help but be mildly surprised. The state Kiba was in...

"Kiba, my pet, you are allowed to choose either of your teammates to take all of your frustrations out on!" The leader dropped down so he was crouching beside the boy, arm slung over his dirtied and bloodied shoulders. "And the best part is that we will get to see the action, men!" He announced, garnering further accolades from the men around him.

Bile rose in Kiba's throat at the very idea of doing what the men had done to him to his either of his friends. But when he began to shake his head to tell the man that he would _not_ sink so low, the man's arm lashed out suddenly and slapped him across the face.

Shino tried to jump at the man, but one of the large men that had come in with him held him back and stopped him from getting any closer to the people in the center of the tent. Hinata could only whine and squeak in fear at what she had heard.

"Now you listen to me, you slut, the deal was that _we_ wouldn't hurt them. And we've kept to that bargain." The leader hissed into Kiba's ears and the boy looked at him with wide eyes and mouth agape.

"B-But... You can't expect me to do that!" The boy wheezed out, eyes flitting from the ugly man over to his two friends. "They're my _friends_. I would _never_ do what you did to me to them!"

Now the leader's hand crawled up the boy's back and clutched the back of his neck tightly, violently pulling Kiba into the man's side. "We use you, you keep your friends safe. And now we have new rules. That's how the world works, kid. You use one, they both stay safe."

"K-Kiba kun!" Hinata gasped when she finally allowed herself to look up, only to see the terrible state her friend was in. "Are you okay?!"

But Shino only kept his silence. The Aburame did not say a word nor betrayed any emotions. At least Kiba could always count on his friend looking like a human statue at all times, no matter how perilous the moment.

The man beside Kiba began to chuckle darkly at Hinata's shout, "Oh, she would sound _beautiful_."

Kiba's eyes closed tightly and he breathed in and out sharply as he felt his chest tighten. These men had no honor. Kiba was sure of it now. They had a deal. They were supposed to have kept to their own end of the deal. But why would they? They had all the power and all the control. All Kiba had was his body and his pain. There was no way for him to beat them now. And it would only be a matter of time before both of his teammates were injured like he was.

" _Why are you doing this_?"

Kiba regretted to know that this was his voice. What had happened to the once proud and loud voice he used? Where had it gone? Why had it been replaced by this broken hush that almost resembled Hinata's own quiver?

The leader shrugged before smiling wickedly at all of his men, "We are all men, kid. We need to get our rocks off somehow!"

The laughter that came from all around made Kiba hate every single person in this room even more.

"Now hurry up and choose one to rape." The man's grip tightened once more as he hissed those words into Kiba's ear, turning his face so he could look directly at his teammates. "You know I am not one for patience."

He had to decide... He despised the idea, but there was nothing else to do. He would have to... Just thinking of what they wanted him to do caused the boy to gag and want to curl up and just hide away from the whole world.

Two choices. Two teammates. Two lives he had fought tooth and nail for. Two lives he had wanted to keep intact. Two lives he would now be forced to damage and break.

He couldn't think of how much pain he would cause whichever friend he chose. And he would not be able to feel the same pain. Even though he had been raped, it had been by these monsters. It hadn't been by a trusted friend and teammate. No matter who he chose, either Shino or Hinata would end up even more broken than Kiba already was.

Kiba allowed his gaze to fall onto the ground for a moment to try and prepare himself to look at his friends. Then, when he looked up at Hinata, the sight of her bright and innocent pale eyes immediately let him know he would never do such a horrible thing to her. If he ever touched her in that manner... Then he would deserve to be stripped of his ninja status and exiled from Konoha, no matter the situation he had been caught in. No type of pain ever warranted hurting such a pure soul.

Then he moved his sorrowful eyes to Shino and knew that they were both on the same page. A slight nod from Shino was all the assurance Kiba could have. He felt despicable just thinking of what he was to do and opened his mouth to speak up.

At first, the words wouldn't come out. Instead Kiba was left stuttering and gasping at the thought of what he was to do to Shino when the men wanted him to. But a harsh growl and the threat of being hit once more by the leader was all Kiba needed for his answer to be ripped from his mouth.

"Shino!"

The sick smile sent his way let Kiba know he had sunk to the level of all the men around him.


	5. First Encounter

After seeing the sick smile of the leader, Kiba closed his eyes. And he kept them shut for as long as he could. He didn't even open them about an hour after he had made his decision and the men began to leave the tent. He kept them closed all through the walk back to his spot at the center of the camp and didn't even try to open them as the sounds and smells all around him spoke of a bustling camp. The only thing he allowed himself to do was hiss softly when his arms were once again hoisted over his head.

He knew he would be forced to partake in the men's sick desires once midnight hit. But he chose to keep his world immersed in darkness until that time hit. To him, this was the one choice he could make that could not be taken away from him. Keeping his eyes closed was the one thing he still had some control of. And he'd take what little control over himself he could find.

It seemed like an eternity before the familiar scent hit him. Shino was being walked over to him.

Panic began to flare up in his mind. It couldn't have been midnight! Not yet! He wasn't ready!

His eyes snapped open in a rush of fear. The sun had set completely and night had descended on the camp grounds. But it did not look like it was already midnight. When the boy's eyes fell on the man that brought Shino, a sigh of relief escaped him. There weren't enough men around him for this to be the main event. These guys were most probably just preparing everything for the show that was to come.

"We're in fer quite the treat, boys!" One of them told the other four men around him as they rigged up a post like the one Kiba hung from to his right. "The boss really wants us ta feel welcome!"

Once the hook hung a bit higher than Kiba's own and the men were sure the post was stable, Shino too was forced to hang from it. His feet dangled an inch above the ground like Kiba's and the young Inuzuka couldn't help but smile sadly over at his friend as the men continued to chatter among themselves.

"Boss man said we'd have a feast!" Another man ran up to these men with a broad smile on his face, "Says it's 'cause of some great surprise after the drinkin' an' eatin!"

"Well let's get goin'!"

After that small exchange, Kiba was able to breathe again. The men had left he and Shino strung up and alone in the silence of the night. And he found that this was the nicest thing they could have done to him.

"Hey, Shino..." He spoke up after a minute or two of silence, a sad smirk finding its way onto his lips. "I'm... I'm sorry, man... I should have done more. I should have been stronger." Tears sprang up to his eyes now and Kiba choked on them for a second before shaking his head, "Maybe if I had been _better_ , we wouldn't be here right now... And you wouldn't be-" He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

Kiba kept his gaze on the floor below him. He couldn't bring himself to look at Shino. Not after he had failed him and Hinata. He only had one job, to protect his teammates from harm, and he had failed them. And now he was to hurt Shino in a way that no person ever deserved to be hurt. This whole situation was just unfair.

Even though he didn't want to look at Shino, Kiba still managed to hear the heavy sigh that left the other boy and took it as a sign of just how disgusted Shino was with them. He was not prepared for the words the bug nin would say, though.

"Idiot..." Shino sighed and Kiba snapped his head up to look at him with wide and shocked eyes. Shino's face, though, was as calm and steady as ever. "You have no control over the situation. No matter how much you apologize, I won't accept it."

Shino's words were stern and determined, which made Kiba realize just how weak he had become. In the past, his voice had been just as determined, if a tad bit more animated. But now he was reduced to a husk of who he once was, voice and confidence included.

"You did all you could to keep your team safe." This must have been the most Kiba had ever heard Shino talk in one go. "I do not know what deal you struck with these men, but-"

Kiba interrupted him then with an almost feral look in his eyes, "No! Not men! These bastards are monsters, demons, _beasts,_ and _brutes_. But they are _not_ _men_."

From behind the sunglasses, Shino's eyebrows had arched up. Kiba had seemed as if all of the fight had been beaten out of him. Apparently, there was still a tiny bit left.

"Fine." Shino relented after a moment of thought, then continued, "I may not know what deal you made with these _brutes_ ," He emphasized the word, as if to make sure Kiba heard it, "But I am well aware of the pain it has brought you. And that it was to protect Hinata and I. For this, I thank you."

The words struck Kiba deeply. But he could not accept Shino's gratitude. He was not deserving of it.

Their emotionally charged conversation was interrupted at that moment by boisterous laughter that came from the far side of the camp, a laughter that signaled the countdown to their doom. They only had until the men finished eating and drinking to not hate themselves completely.

Kiba sighed heavily, then looked at Shino with a sad smile. "It was a good ride, huh?"

Shino reprimanded him, "We're not going to die, Kiba. Just... Hold on. Be strong. I'm sure someone will come help us. Besides, I can take whatever it is they want you to do to me... If _you've_ been able to take it from them, then..." Shino faltered for a moment there, then shook his head and looked away from Kiba. "Then I can take it from you."

Even though the words spoke of Shino's will to take whatever it was that these men wanted to dish out, Kiba knew of the effects he would feel. And even though he might be able to deal with what Kiba did to him at the moment, there was no doubt in the Inuzuka's mind that Shino would end up hating himself just as Kiba hated who he was. It was inevitable when one's body was violated in such a violent and intruding manner. There was no way to get past that irrefutable fact.

The laughter and noises from the feasting men became louder as the night progressed and with each passing of a minute, Kiba felt his chest tighten and his stomach churn uncomfortably. With each minute that passed, they got closer and closer to when he would have to harm his best friend. Because that is what he had come to see Shino as, his greatest ally in the world aside from Akamaru. And he would end up having to tarnish that bond on the whims of bastards... This life had proven to not be fair.

Breathing in, Kiba raised his head to look up at the night sky to try and distract himself from the roaring noises all around him. Noises that came from both outside his mind and inside. His thoughts were jumbled and almost explosive in nature. They ranged from self loathing, to hating the men around him, and sadness for what he was to do. But there were no comforting thoughts. No ginger words he could whisper to himself. He had almost no hope left in him.

As he looked up at the starry night, he noticed a leaf fall. This made him focus on that small object in confusion. There was barely any breeze in this camp site, even with the many trees surrounding it. This lack of breeze meant that there weren't supposed to be any leaves falling from the trees. For a leaf to fall, it meant that some outside force other than wind had knocked it over. He could only hope whoever was there wasn't part of this camp.

After he had followed the leaf's descent to the floor, Kiba's eyes flickered up to the tree line once more and managed to see the shadow of a silhouette before it was gone, racing across the tree tops. He tried to keep his eyes on the figure, but after being out of action for so long and so wounded at the same time, he could not keep with the running person. He could only hope this person was a saving grace to them.

Taking one whiff of the air around him, Kiba picked up the scents of food, drink, sweat, a bit of urine, and, finally, the scent he had been the most concentrated on, two types of scents he had never smelled before. Their smells were different from each other, but they both had one thing in common. Death. Both of their scents had underlying tones of death.

The only people Kiba had ever met before in his life that had that type of scent clinging to them had always been bad news. Like that Gaara kid in the Chuunin exams. Or those damned Sakon and Ukon.

"Shino..." Kiba muttered softly, "No matter what happens to us, I want you to promise me one thing."

Shino turned to look at him once more but did not say a word. Instead his silence let Kiba know he was to continue talking.

"I'm much too injured to make the trip back to the village. If... If we're somehow able to escape these guys, I need you to promise me to take Hinata with you and run." Shino seemed to move as if he wanted to immediately stop Kiba, but the boy continued talking in a hurried pace, "I would be dead weight and my wounds are more than likely to get infected on the way. My best bet in surviving is to stay put until someone finds me... The Hokage should be sending a search party in a day or two... They'll find me and I'll be treated."

While his words had a strong air about them, Kiba's eyes let Shino know that he wasn't half as hopeful as the words sounded.

"What if someone else finds you? Someone worse?"

Kiba looked away from the scathing look sent his way and sighed, "It's wishful thinking, Shino... The one thing I have left to control..."

After that, both boys fell into silence once more. Shino had neither agreed nor disagreed to Kiba's plea. The dog nin wasn't surprised by that. He wasn't surprised to know that Shino had kept himself in a neutral point of neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

As night had fallen, Kiba noticed the dropping of the temperature. In the tatters of clothing he wore, his skin was more than a bit exposed and he felt extremely uncomfortable because of this. The past nights he had not been able to feel the coldness of the night because of how overheated his body became while being used by the men around him. But now that they weren't using him, he could feel just how harsh the temperature could get. With a small shiver making its way up his spine, Kiba couldn't help but wish he had some sort of blanket to help warm him.

The silence that had settled over them was interrupted suddenly by two large figures landing before them with soft thuds. Kiba's eyes widened as he took in the sight of both large bodies that wore cloaks over themselves and hid their true shapes. But he could see that one had the silhouette of a sword's hilt protruding from his back while the other had nothing over him.

Keen yet disinterested eyes looked over both boys for a moment before Kiba found his voice.

"W-who are you?" The quiver in his voice caused the boy great annoyance with himself, but he decided to push his fear into the back of his mind and instead look at the two people before him.

The darkness of the night made discerning their features near impossible, but at least Kiba's sharp eyes were able to see the outline of headbands on their heads. This caused Kiba to feel two very different things at the same time. Relief at the possibility of having ninja allies willing to help. And unease at the thought of these being enemy ninja that would cause more harm than good.

But there was one thing Kiba was sure of. The scents he had picked up minutes ago came from them. While the shorter one's scent smelled the least of death, the taller one's stench of it was enough to make Kiba's nose ruffle. Apart from death, they had other things that made up their own distinct, personal scent, but that type of description was too difficult to put into words. He just knew that the shorter one's smell was less threatening than the taller one's. If anything, it was almost comforting for the boy to breathe it in.

Neither figure moved at first. Instead they kept their eyes fixated on both teenagers while silence reigned over all of them. Then, when Kiba grew tired of the lack of answers, the shorter of the figures spoke up.

"You are from the Inuzuka clan."

It wasn't a question but instead an observation. And the voice that left the man's body was deep, cold, and almost uncaring.

"Yeah." Kiba nodded softly, then, when he heard a loud crash coming from the group of loud men, snapped his head in that direction. "They're going to be finishing any minute now..." He muttered to himself, eyes wide and full of worry.

The taller of the cloaked figures huffed then in what almost sounded like humor before speaking up, "They aren't the people you should be worried about now, kid."

After he said this, the man began to bring his arm up to grab at his sword's hilt and bring it out, but his companion put a hand out and turned to him.

"Kisame, there's no need for that." The voice was just a tad bit more animated than before, but still held more disinterest than Kiba would expect from any human being that wasn't Shikamaru. "Both are clearly injured and tired. There's no need to harm them even more."

This caused grumbles to escape Kisame's lips but soon enough his sword was safely placed once more on his back and his arms were crossed over his chest. Kiba breathed out a sigh of relief he hadn't known he had been holding, then looked at the shorter of the two men with wide eyes.

"Please, help us."

Begging. He had taken to doing this so often now. He was annoyed by it. But it seemed to be the only thing that actually fit when it came to a bitch like him.

Shino glared at Kiba, but the dog nin ignored him. He didn't care if Shino thought this was the wrong thing to do. All Kiba knew was that he needed to get out of this camp by whatever means necessary. After what had been done to his body to keep Shino and Hinata safe, he didn't think there was much of anything he _wouldn't_ do to finally get out of this place.

"We were kidnapped by these bastards." Kiba swallowed thickly as he spoke, "They've held us captive for days now... We're not looking for trouble. Please, just get us down from here and we'll be out of your hair."

Both men before them remained silent after Kiba said this, then the taller of the two took one step forward, "We don't do anything for free, kid." Even through the darkness, Kiba could see a dangerous glint from the man's eyes.

The shorter took one look at Kisame, although Kiba couldn't quite make out what emotions were behind the look, then shook his head, "Kisame, cut the taller kid down. Stop playing games."

"You really are no fun, Itachi." Kisame growled softly before he swiftly jumped to Shino's side and cut the boy down.

Shino grunted softly when his feet hit the ground, but he said nothing as he turned to Kiba. But the Inuzuka shook his and moved his head in the direction of where he hoped Hinata was.

"Don't waste any time on me, Shino." The boy commanded, "Go and get Hinata while there's still time and those guys are still eating. I'm sure these two won't mind cutting me down." The smile he sent Shino's way was in no way confident.

"I do not think that is wise, Kiba." Shino tried to argue, "We have already been separated for much too long-"

"Shino, like I told you, I'm in no state to be running around." If his hands had been untied, Kiba would have motioned to his whole body and how injured it was. But they were still bound and hoisted above his head, so the boy only glared at Shino, "Hurry up and go get Hinata." He repeated in an almost growl, "There's no time to waste. Those guys are going to be done any minute now."

Shino's eyebrows narrowed at Kiba's suddenly dominant tone but nodded tensely once before jumping away to find their missing teammate. Leaving Kiba alone with two possibly dangerous men.


	6. Second Decision

Once more silence reigned between the males, then the shorter of the two men spoke up.

"Separating yourself from your teammates was not a very wise move." He observed and Kiba scoffed.

"I haven't been making many of those." He grumbled in disgust, then looked at Itachi right in the eyes, "Listen... I'm in no position to help my teammates... You two, you don't smell like any kind soul I've come across. If anything, you reek more like the guys in that tent than any Shinobi I've met." He took one more sniff of the air to make sure that the scents riddled with death were in fact coming from these two and nodded to himself softly, "You're not nice guys, are you?"

The taller man now moved so he stood in front of Kiba with a broad smile on his face. The dog nin could see sharp fang-like teeth in that smile.

"No. We're not." He answered simply, "And we also aren't the type to do something without receiving some kind of compensation in return."

Kiba ground his teeth together when Kisame said this, then closed his eyes tightly and breathed in. He had been burned by making a deal once. Was he really going to run the risk of getting burned once more?

As he pondered this, an old memory of Hinata and Shino helping him get back to his house after a totally catastrophic mission that he had managed to botch because of his over eagerness appeared in his mind. And as soon as he was reminded of that moment, Kiba knew his answer.

"Listen, you help me and my friends out and I'll do _whatever_ you want. No limits, no denials. I do whatever you want without any complaint." Kiba told them with his voice strong and cold, "But you can tell me whatever it is you want _after_ you get my teammates out of this place. _Without_ any injury done to them."

"You actually think we'd help a brat like-" Kisame seemed ready to deny Kiba and try and kill him, but Itachi interrupted the taller man with a raised hand.

"Any more terms?" He asked, looking directly at Kiba and ignoring Kisame's annoyed glare.

Honestly, Kiba was surprised to hear that one of them was actually thinking of accepting the deal. And, most probably, if one accepted, they both did. The boy was about to say that all he wanted was for them to ensure his friends safety, nothing else, but before he could do that, he heard the crash of a glass bottle against the floor and his eyes went wide.

The men must be close to finishing their feast. They could injure his friends... He couldn't run that risk. But what could he do about them?

The Inuzuka raised his head to look at the two men before him once more, then zeroed in on the sword on the large man's back. These two seemed confident in their abilities just from the way they held themselves. And from their stench of death, Kiba knew for certain they had taken quite a few lives. But could he really ask them to do something like this? To slaughter a camp full of men?

His body moved slightly to the left to try and think more comfortably, even with how he was still suspended over the air, and a pang of pain ran all throughout his body. It started at his feet than went higher and higher until it reached his neck and caused the boy to close his eyes and try to breathe through the pain.

 _They_ had done this to him. Those bastards had hurt him in a way that could not be forgiven. That was when he knew his answer.

"Can you..." He began to ask, but his mouth dried up and he closed it tightly to try and compose himself. After a second or so, he tried again, looking away from the men in shame at what he was about to ask. "Kill these men. All of them. But bring me the leader alive."

His voice come out vicious, blood thirsty even. Kiba was not accustomed to feeling this way. But after everything those men had done to him, he was finally allowing himself to feel all the anger, hate, and humiliation and let it out.

"I want them to be butchered." His voice was just a bit more human than an animal's growl, but it seemed to shock both men before him.

They both stayed quiet for a moment after he had spoken, then the taller began to chuckle. "And here I thought you were some stupid wimp..." The dark smirk sent his way did nothing to placate Kiba's swirling mind. "I'll get on that... Itachi, I'll leave discussing the rest of the deal to you. I was never one for diplomacy."

With those words, Kisame jumped away and in the direction of all the men in the camp, Kiba's stomach dropping as he did so. But once he was gone from sight, Kiba turned to the one he had called Itachi, but looked away when he found intense red eyes staring back at him.

Had he always had his eyes like that? Were they always that red? Why hadn't Kiba noticed sooner?

"I'm going to cut you down now." The man informed Kiba after a beat of silence, taking a step towards the boy.

No other words were spoken as the man set to work on cutting Kiba down. And Kiba, for once, did not mind the silence. He had just sentenced more than thirty men to death. And he did not feel bad for their deaths. No, if anything, he was relieved they would be leaving the world of the living this night. But he felt bad knowing that this was not how a Shinobi was supposed to act.

Even though he knew Itachi was cutting him down, he had not been prepared to place his weight on his legs. When his arms were finally allowed to relax and his body dropped, Kiba was too distracted to notice. And when his feet hit the floor, instead of standing upright, his body continued to fall. A shout of pain left him when his feet collided with the floor because that sent yet another jolt of pain throughout his body, but he soon found his mouth muffled by fabric.

It took him a second or two to notice that he had stopped falling. His body, instead of plummeting to the ground as he had expected, had been stopped by a very firm and tall body.

Itachi's.

The taller male grunted slightly- if it was annoyance or disgust, Kiba wasn't sure- when he grabbed Kiba by the arms and pushed him back slightly. Then those blood red eyes began to look Kiba over in a silence that left the boy wondering just what the other was thinking.

"Sit down."

The command was simple and curt. Kiba guessed it was because Itachi could see his legs covered in blood stained bandages and had come to the conclusion that they didn't work as well as they should. But he didn't mind the command at all. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't being told to do something disgusting. And he was okay with that.

Itachi helped sit him down on the ground below him and Kiba breathed out sharply in pain. It had been hell moving around earlier. It still was.

After Kiba was seated on the ground and not about to fall over, Itachi straightened up, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked away from the boy. Kiba didn't blame him. If his assumptions of these guys were correct, they were hella strong. He was not. Most probably, this man with the blood red eyes found Kiba as disgusting as the boy felt. And, for some reason he could not understand, this made Kiba extremely sad.

At least he finally had a way to get out of the hell he had been caught in. At least now there was a possibility of something good happening.

Screams could be heard from the other side of the camp. The undeniable iron stench of blood filled the skies. It had begun. Kiba didn't know if he should have felt relieved or terrified at the pure savagery he heard coming from the killing site.

So occupied the Inuzuka had been thinking about the mass murder happening that he didn't notice it when Itachi took his large cloak off. But he _did_ notice when said cloak was wrapped around his shoulders, like a blanket. With wide eyes, he looked up at the tall man, only to see he had straightened up and looked away in a flash.

"You were shivering." Was the only explanation Kiba was given, but it was enough to make him smile stupidly.

With that large coat wrapped over him, he felt something he had not been afforded to feel in some time. Safety. He felt safe now. Kiba was overwhelmed by the scent that surrounded him now, along with the coat. And for some reason, that scent made him feel like there was nothing to worry about.

Minutes passed with both males submerged in their own thoughts. And Kiba was grateful to have Itachi's coat surrounding him and covering up all the smell of the blood that wafted through the night air.

"We still have to discuss what you will do in return for our services."

It surprised Kiba how one man could speak in such a monotone voice. But he nodded softly and muttered a quiet, "I know."

Itachi turned to look at him, then knelt beside the dog nin.

"Where's your dog?" He asked suddenly, and Kiba thought he must have imagined the undertones of worry he swore to have heard.

Kiba looked at him quizzically for a moment, then the red eyed man explained himself. "I know the Inuzuka clan has deep connections with their dogs. Not once have I come across a member of it without their companion. So, where's yours?"

Just who was this man that knew so much about his clan?

Now that Itachi was right besides Kiba, the boy could see his face more clearly. His hair was just as dark as Sasuke's and his face was sharp and unblemished. He was a rather... How to describe it? Well, there was no way to get around it. _H_ _andsome_. This man was handsome with his sharp features. But his blood red eyes were the the thing that stood out the most to Kiba.

Looking a bit farther up from his eyes, Kiba could see the headband that had first led him to believe this was some type of Shinobi and felt himself pale. Right on top of Konoha's leaf symbol, there was a long horizontal gash.

What could that mean?

"Uh..." Kiba spaced out for a moment as he tried to think of an answer while keeping his eyes on the headband. Then he shook his head and looked down at the floor. "I sent Akamaru to protect the civilian we were sent to escort." He explained lamely, keeping himself looking at anywhere but the man.

Even with how comforting and relaxing the scent around him was, Kiba was no fool. He had never seen anyone with a gash across their village's symbol. And whatever it could mean, Kiba had a feeling it wasn't anything good.

"Hmm... That is slightly troublesome..." Itachi spoke out loud to no one in particular, "Do you know where he should be now?"

This line of questioning was... Not what Kiba had expected. As part of the deal he was to strike with these two, he was completely expecting to be used as a slave or cannon fodder. He had no idea they even knew this much about his clan.

"Yeah. Even if I didn't, I could still sniff him out." Kiba answered dully, then turned his head to look at Itachi straight in the eyes. "Why are you asking so much about my dog?"

"It's simple, really. You are an Inuzuka, this means you have tracking in your blood. So in exchange of my partner and I aiding you and your team _and_ getting rid of these troublesome men, you will become our tracker."

If Kiba had the strength in this body, he would have jumped and walked away from the man to search for his friends. But because But because he was so injured, all he could do was stare at the man with wide eyes.

"W-what? Your... Your tracker?" He repeated dumbly.

Itachi made a small noise in the back of his throat, one that sounded almost like a hum, before nodding at Kiba.

"You _did_ say anything. No limits, no denials." Itachi told him, then motioned to his legs, "I believe you are already aware of how... _Safe_ this deal is considering your current condition..."

In no certain words, he was letting Kiba know that _he_ knew of what he had gone through. For some reason, this bothered Kiba. A lot. And made him feel just a bit humiliated. But he looked up at the night sky in thought of the deal and sighed.

"I did say anything..." He mumbled dejectedly. A grim smile made its way onto his face, "Guess it's not the _worst_ thing you could do to me..." Finally, he allowed his head to hang above his chest and breathed out heavily, "Fine... You've got yourself a tracker..."

So preoccupied the boy was with sulking that he missed the soft smile that made its way onto Itachi's face. They were both plunged into silence once more and Kiba couldn't help but wonder just why he kept opening his mouth. It seemed the only thing he managed to do when he spoke was dig himself into deep holes.

Without really noticing, Kiba clutched the cloak around him tighter, seeking its comfort.

"Kiba kun! Are you alright?"

Kiba jumped slightly when he heard Hinata's soft spoken query, then turned to his left to see that Shino and her were walking towards him. Itachi then decided it was time to get up and looked in the direction of the camp where men were being slaughtered and maimed.

"Yeah, I am." Kiba smiled and tried to get up hurriedly, only to wince and almost fall over himself.

Once more Itachi managed to grab him before his body met with the floor below and Kiba found himself blushing brightly. It was one thing to fall because your legs were weak. But it was a completely different thing when you almost fell because you were hurrying to _get up_. Only he could manage to make himself look so weak in front of someone as dangerous as Itachi.

"We will finish agreeing upon the terms later." Itachi whispered into his ear before releasing Kiba, which made the dog nin look at him in silent confusion before a new voice captured Kiba's attention.

"You heard the screams." Shino materialized behind Hinata, eyebrows narrowed and voice tense.

Kiba did not understand why Shino seemed so angry. They were finally going to be freed from this hell. Sure, he hadn't expected the bug boy to be all smiles if something like this happened, but he would have at least expected some gratitude... Then again, Shino was no fool and his information gathering skills were even better than Kiba's own. And if Kiba had managed to figure out these men were dangerous, then Shino undoubtedly had as well.

"Yeah... Listen, guys... These men..."

"Kiba." Shino interrupted callously, "Shut up. Let's go."

Kiba's mouth shut immediately at Shino's commands. He wanted to. Oh, how he longed to return to Konoha. He had missed everything that belonged to his village in the days he had been put through all this torture... But he couldn't. He had already made another deal. One he entered with even more trepidation than the one he had struck with the rogues.

"He can't."

Shino's stern gaze went from Kiba to Itachi, asking the man just why the hell they couldn't take Kiba with them without saying any words.

Kiba turned to see Itachi standing beside him now, close enough to feel his heat, but far enough to not actually touch. With wide and pleading eyes, he silently begged Itachi to not tell his teammates about the deal they had struck. He had agreed to it to keep them _safe_! But if he told them... Then they would never leave. They would insist on staying with Kiba. And Kiba could never do that to his friends.

Itachi answered after a second or so of everything around them remaining in a lull. "He is much too wounded to return to Konoha at the moment. If you were to try and make him travel such distance, you are going to do more harm than good on his body." He spoke calmly, almost scientifically.

This Itachi fellow was an odd person. Kiba honestly had no idea what to think of him. Well, apart from knowing that his scent calmed Kiba down considerably.

Thinking on that, Kiba noticed that he still kept the cloak wrapped tightly around him. Maybe he felt so comfortable and safe at the moment because of it that he hadn't felt the need to speak up against either him or Shino. It was odd.

"B-but we can't leave him here." Hinata protested almost shyly, eyes wide as she looked over the large male that stood almost a good foot taller than Kiba.

"And we shouldn't be separated again." Shino finished, then focused on the boy. "Look at what happened to him when we were. He can barely stand and has more bandages on his body than visible skin."

Kiba's eyes filled with tears at that moment and he couldn't help it. His friends were worried about him. The first time they were separated had been much easier. They hadn't had any say in anything he did then. Now, though, they were adamant about not leaving him alone.

"You are just genin. Stop being so headstrong and listen to your elder." Itachi bit coldly, eyes narrowing at the two, "Kiba can _not_ be forced to travel long distances. But you _have_ to return to Konoha before you come across anymore dangers. Can you understand that?"

Kiba felt his body grow cold at how scathing the words from Itachi were, but kept his mouth shut and his head down.

"My partner and I can keep him safe as he heals." Itachi told them, crossing his arms. "And once he can make the trip to your village, he can go back. Can you understand that or should I use simpler words?"

"No. We understand." Shino's words were clipped and tense, which made Kiba regret every choice he had made until that moment.

He wished he could say he would see his friends again soon enough, that they didn't have to worry about him. But he knew that wouldn't be a possibility. He didn't know if he'd ever see his teammates ever again.

"Kiba... Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Shino asked in a softer tone, sounding almost hopeful.

Kiba was so close to crying that it wasn't even funny. He couldn't trust his voice, though, so instead of speaking, the Inuzuka merely shook his head and took one step back. He flashed his friends a watery smile. The last they would see.

"Fine." Shino growled and turned around, "Come on, Hinata. We'll wait for him in the village."

Hinata blinked in shock at that, "B-b-but-"

"Just go." Itachi told her, waving for her to follow after Shino.

The purple haired girl squeaked at Itachi's careless tone, looked at Kiba one finally time to offer him her own smile, then took off after Shino.

This would be the last time they would see their friend in a long time.


	7. Selfish

Kisame returned covered in blood with a twisted smile on his face. His left hand held his sword above his shoulders and the bandaging around it had come undone to show a sharp scale-like surface. It too was covered in the crimson liquid. In his right hand, though, Kisame held the one thing that Kiba was really interested in. With blood flowing from a hit to his scalp and ugly face twisted up in fear, the leader of the men was dragged all the way from his position back at their festivities to where Kiba and Itachi waited.

"Pl-please!" The man begged, one of his eyes shut completely and beginning to bruise. "L-let m-m-me go!"

Kiba's face went from calm and relaxed to glaring in anger as soon as he heard those words leave the man. How dare he? How could that bastard ever consider himself anything more than a coward if he was already begging to be released?

But soon enough a sick smile found its way onto the boy's face.

The man was bleeding. He was afraid. He was injured. And he was on his knees.

With a sudden burst of crazed desperation taking control of him, Kiba got up from his spot on the floor and walked towards Kisame and the leader. The large, blue-skinned man quirked an eyebrow at the kid that was now wearing Itachi's too big coat but said nothing as he took one step to the side and released the leader's head. The man's head hit the ground for a second then his hands were under him and his upper body was pushed up to look into Kiba's eyes.

Kisame walked back towards Itachi with one hand on his hip and the other hanging, wondering just what kind of deal the two had struck while he unleashed pain and death on their targets. But he did not say a thing as he turned to look at the kid and the leader of the gang. He had a feeling that he would not be the only one that would shed blood that night.

Kiba's hands trembled beneath the long sleeves of the cloak. Actually, his whole framed quaked minutely as he looked down at the broken and injured man before him. And the more he looked, the angrier he got. The more the man sniveled, the more Kiba wished to see him injured further. And the more the man whimpered, the more Kiba wanted to _break him_.

This man deserved to _bleed_ like Kiba had. This whimpering bastard deserved to lose who he was, just as he had forced Kiba to. Everything he had subjected the young boy to, he deserved to face.

"Perfect. _Bitch_."

Kisame's eyes widened marginally at the unexpected _venom_ in the kid's voice. The leader whimpered from his spot below the boy. And Itachi's own faced showed slight surprise at just how spiteful the words had been.

Kiba did not lean down to look the man in the way. He barely even moved to touch him. But his eyes, which were so full of hate and disgust, were drilling into the leader's own terrified ones.

"Tell me, are you enjoying your place on the floor?" Kiba's words weren't yelled. Instead he spoke in a calm and composed voice that caused chills to go down even Kisame's back. "You really liked seeing me there before... So I'm wondering if there's any real _pleasure_ or _gain_ to find from laying _broken and battered_ at the feet of your enemy."

There were so many spiteful thoughts roaring in Kiba's head. All of the pain, sadness, and humiliation he had been subjected to for the past few days bubbled up in him in a fever pitch. He had been angry before, he had felt hate. But never had he felt hate like this. This wasn't a destructive, explosive and careless feeling of hate. No, this was scarier. This hate made him cautious, careful, and silent. He had no idea what had gotten into him. But he wasn't about to stop it. He _despised_ this bastard.

The leader didn't answer him. And this made Kiba's face twist up into a glare so hateful that the Akatsuki's members wondered if he was about to kill the man. But instead of doing that, the boy crouched so he was right beside the leader's face and hissed at him scornfully.

"You kidnapped me. Threatened my friends. _Violated me_. Made me lose _everything_ that was important... And you _dare_ beg to be let go?" A chilling, cold hearted, and unamused laugh burst from the kid's lips at that moment, only to cease as soon as it had come for Kiba to glare down at the man. "Oh no. You're going to _die_ here." Then he smiled broadly, canines bared dangerously, "And it's going to fucking hurt."

"No... Please..." The leader's eyes were filled with tears now and they fell freely. "I want to live..." The whisper was filled with despair and terror and Kiba relished in those emotions. "Please let me live..."

"You don't deserve to live!" Kiba shouted suddenly, eyes wide and wild with his teeth bared. "You destroyed me! Destroyed who I was! What I was! Why the _fuck_ would I let you _live?_!"

"Kiba."

Kiba hadn't noticed his hand was at the leader's throat until Itachi's voice broke through the dark haze that overwhelmed his mind. The boy blinked twice in confusion, then looked down at the leader to see his nails digging into his throat, then looked at the hand holding on to his forearm. Itachi's hand was firm yet gentle, not gripping to pull Kiba's hand away, instead to stop him.

"Let go."

Those calmly spoken words made Kiba's blood boil even more than the leader's begs had.

"Why?" The boy growled, close to snarling at the much taller male. "He deserves to die. And I have a right to make him breathe his last breath!" His breathing had become erratic and deep, his lungs struggling to acquire the oxygen he needed. "I have a right to kill him!"

The hand around the leader's throat tightened further and he gasped, eyes wide as his hands went up to scratch at Kiba's hand. The boy didn't even wince as his skin began to get torn, caught on the leader's nails.

He was tortured for days on end. He had felt hollow for so long... He wanted to feel _something_ other than _hate and fear_ again... And he thought... No. He _knew_ that he'd feel once more when he killed this bastard. If he killed the monster in real life, he would kill the demons plaguing him. If he destroyed the man that had made him feel this way, so damned alone, then he wouldn't be alone again! It was a flawless plan!

"I told you to let him go, Inuzuka." Itachi's voice was calm and detached, but Kiba could not bring himself to understand why.

How could he sound so calm? How could anyone look at Kiba and dare tell him to _not_ murder this bastard? How could Itachi look at Kiba and _command him_ to let the bastard go?!

A feral snarl escaped Kiba's ground lips and his sharp canines flashed dangerously at Itachi, all the while his sharp nails dug into the leader's neck until they too drew blood.

"This bastard took everything from me! I should be able to take _everything_ from _him!_ " Kiba hissed up at Itachi, then winced when the hand on his arm began to tighten. "Why are you defending such an abhorrent piece of shit!? This is _not_ a human! This is some detestable _demon_ that needs to be wiped off the face of this Earth!"

Itachi's blood red eyes narrowed in disgust at Kiba's words, "Is this what the Leaf Village's ninja have become? Fools that seek destructive vengeance? Since when do your Shinobi preach blood lust and murder?" Itachi's voice was harsh and cold, face betraying none of those emotions.

Kiba could feel himself falter under that intense gaze and those scrutinizing words, hand loosening around the bastard's throat. He could feel his chest seize up at the accusations because he knew Itachi was right. A real Shinobi would not act like this. A real Shinobi would be strong enough to _not_ be affected by the pain he had suffered.

Kiba was _not_ a real Shinobi.

"You... You're right..." Kiba breathed out, finally letting go of the man's neck.

The leader gulped in a big breath of air and Kiba felt tears spring up in his eyes once more. The more he looked at the scarred man struggling to breathe, the more he felt like crying. He did not deserve the title of genin. He didn't deserve the headband he wore. The one item on his body that the men had _not_ touched or perverted in any manner.

"You're right..." He whispered dumbly, taking one step back.

Then he took another, and another, and another, all the while repeating the phrase like a mantra. With wide eyes and tears falling, the boy continued backing up and away from Itachi and the leader. On one step, his foot caught with a root on the floor and he fell to the ground below. And when pain shot through all of his body at the impact with the floor, he began to sob like never before.

~/~

Itachi looked at the sobbing boy with an unreadable expression on his face. His red eyes were slightly narrowed, but not enough to express how angered he was with the situation he found himself in now.

The mission had been a simple 'Get rid of these pests'. It was bothersome and below them in Itachi's eyes, but if the Akatsuki wanted to keep their strangle hold on business around this area, then those mercenaries would have to be dispatched of. So, he and Kisame had done their recon and gotten the lay of the land and garnered an understanding of their targets.

He was a despicable human being. Itachi knew that he would never be able to atone for his sins, no matter how justified they were. He'd never go back to Konoha as a hero. But he had his brother. At least he still had Sasuke.

Even with how dangerous and disgusting he was, though, the mercenaries that called this campsite home had a special place in hell prepared just for them.

Someone was a special kind of despicable if they thought it was fine to rape a child.

When they had first seen the rapes of the young boy at the hands of these men, Kisame had had to physically stop Itachi from jumping in and murdering everyone in the place. The cries of the boy vibrated in his head and took him back to a time he wished to never have to relive and Itachi wanted, with all his being, to stop the screams. But to dispatch of the men before their assigned date could risk the Akatsuki's involvement being exposed and Kisame was smart enough to know to stop him.

After he had stopped Itachi from flying into the camp, Kisame had dragged him away as far as he dared and hissed at him for being such an idiot. Wasn't Itachi supposed to be the level headed one of the two? He should know better than to jump in before they were allowed to. Had Itachi really wanted to put their organization in jeopardy of being found out?

It took him a long time, but eventually Itachi was able to hold in his rage because of Kisame's- astonishingly enough- wise words. He had known that Kisame wasn't a complete idiot, but seeing how he had been able to calm down an almost blindly enraged Itachi showed that he wasn't as incompetent as the Uchiha had once believed. Maybe there was a reason as to why they had been paired together.

The wait for the correct time was almost unbearable. The kid's screams were stuck in Itachi's head. His wails and sobs of pain were all that Itachi could think about for some time. And what bothered him the most about the kid's screams was the fact that he didn't understand why they struck him so.

He had been around pain, death, and torture before. But he had never been affected like this. It was as if there was something about this kid that his subconscious refused to forget or ignore. As if this kid was supposed to _mean_ something to Itachi. Honestly, it made no sense to the battle hardened Uchiha. But he knew that things didn't have to make sense to be real. His protective urges had flared when he had seen the kid bound and abused and he'd be damned if he'd allow further harm to come to him.

The time spent waiting to attack was frustrating to Itachi. He knew that these men were only preparing to hurt the kid in a harsher manner than before and this thought made his blood boil. But somehow, he had been able to keep himself from endangering their mission and waited until midnight came around. Then he had landed before the kid with an air of indifference that he certainly could not make himself believe.

The kid wasn't stupid. That much was clear from him being able to tell that he and Kisame were not good people from just their scents. And it was this very observation that had made the idea of 'tracker' pop into his mind. If he had been able to smell the danger they actually were, then maybe the Inuzuka's famed sense of smell was not as exaggerated as Itachi had once thought it was.

But from his eagerness to make a deal with two- even though he didn't know they were- S-Ranked criminals, Itachi knew he was desperate to save his friends. So, who was he to deny the kid's pleas?

The kid wanted his friends to be safe. Itachi and Kisame had already decided that they would not be harmed before they jumped in to kill the men. He also wanted the camp full of men murdered. That was the very reason as to why both Akatsuki members found themselves in this dark forest at such an odd hour. Kiba didn't have to know that they were going to do all that before he had offered his deal. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

So Itachi took advantage of the kid's fragile state of mind and recruited him as a tracker.

The burst of protective and worried feelings in his chest for the kid surprised him. But he didn't ask himself why he felt them. He just allowed himself to act selfishly for once and decided to keep the kid around so he'd be able to solve this mystery comfortably. He wasn't accustomed to deciding on things that would benefit him rather than others but his heart fluttered oddly at the idea of the Inuzuka at his side, helping him and Kisame track down their targets.

Then the kid had asked for the leader's head... And Itachi felt his body fill with a chill he had not experienced before. The spiteful and vindictive look on the kid's face just didn't seem right. Itachi had seen that look on people's faces before. And once somebody crossed the line Kiba was about to cross, they never came back. And once more that burst of wanting to protect ignited in his chest and he had stepped forward to stop the Inuzka.

For some reason he did not truly understand, Itachi wanted to preserve what ounce of innocence- however small- Kiba still held in him. This was the reason why he stopped Kiba from killing the leader. To keep him from going down a path he would never be able to come back from.

His words had been cruel and hurtful, but they had the effect Itachi had hoped for. Kiba had seen the error of his ways and regretted ever having thought of murdering the leader. Itachi just had not expected to see the kid that had been prepared to murder a man in cold blood a few seconds ago suddenly devolve and sob like a child.

The only noise around the campsite for some time was that which came from Kiba. His soul wrecking sobs pierced the night sky and twisted Itachi's insides in a way he was not comfortable with. But with their mission almost over, Kisame decided to keep his big mouth shut for once and didn't try to make Itachi hurry up. After some time, those sobs became cries and those sniffles. Then, after a few more minutes, the noises ceased and Itachi figured out Kiba had cried himself to sleep.

He had not been the only one for the leader's scornful laughter suddenly broke the silence that had formed and Itachi's anger flared.

"Dumb bitch! Can't do anything right!"

Itachi enjoyed breaking that man's mind more than he should have.

At the moment, he didn't care about it how much he enjoyed it, though. As he heard the man's blood curdling screams brought on by his genjutsu, all Itachi could think of was how good it felt to hurt him.

It was later on as he cradled Kiba in his arms and followed after Kisame through the trees that he began to wonder just why he felt so protective of the Inuzuka child.


	8. Confrontation

"So, where are we dropping off the brat?" Kisame asked in his low timbred growl while he kept his attention on the path before him.

The sun was slowly beginning to rise and he wanted to start on their trek back to the Akatsuki hideout as soon as possible. But he knew they wouldn't be able to go back until Itachi unlatched himself from the kid. Now all he had to do was wait until his partner finally came back to his senses and decided to leave the kid alone.

"We're taking him with us."

If Kisame had not been paying attention to where he was walking, he would have tripped over the protruding root beneath his foot. Luckily, though, he _had_ been attentive and avoided the root narrowly as he swiveled around to look at Itachi.

His partner's cloak was still wrapped around the kid and Kisame wasn't sure how to take the sudden care that seemed to have fallen over Itachi. He had known the other for more than a year now and had thought to know the Uchiha rather well. The murderer of the Uchiha clan was quiet, manipulative, and calculated his every move with deadly precision. He never allowed his emotions to get the better of him and was a stellar killer because of this.

But something had changed in the Uchiha. And Kisame was not sure how to take that change.

"You can't be serious, Itachi." Kisame growled as he narrowed his eyes at the dark haired male, "Listen, I get toying with the kid back there. Heat of the moment or whatever. But you can't possibly be thinking of actually making the kid do something for us!"

Itachi's eyes narrowed immediately at Kisame's exasperation and spoke in his ever cool voice, "He offered to make a deal and we struck one that is mutually complacent. We would help him and his friends while taking care of the men in the camp as long as he returned the favor."

Kisame was flabbergasted by what Itachi was implying.

"Wait, you can't tell me you- Itachi! We were still going to do all of that, deal or no deal! Are you really so sick and deprived that you would manipulate _a kid_?"

These words, apparently, had not been the correct ones to use to call the Uchiha out. Kisame knew that he should have used a bit more tact when it came to dealing with his quiet partner, but he had thought that he had a deeper connection with the other than most people.

But from the way Itachi's eyes flashed blood red and his mouth sneered, Kisame was allowed to know that he had yet to garner enough trust in the other to flat out call him out.

"I manipulated no one!" Itachi growled, then chanced a glance down at the sleeping boy. Oddly enough, his angered voice lost its edge when he spoke of him, "He made his own choices." But his words regained that angered undertone when he looked back at Kisame, "And you will not question me like this. I am _not_ sick or deprived. I just took advantage of a situation. Which is no different from what others of our organization would have done."

Kisame had never seen the younger act so passionate about _anything._ Itachi and feelings just didn't connect in Kisame's mind. Which is why it was so weird to see him actually looking as if he _cared_ about someone other than himself.

"What did you tell the kid he'd be doing?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed further, clearly not enjoying Kisame standing up to him, but it wasn't like the sword wielder was about to give in so easily. He may leave the younger alone most of the time, but there was a point where he'd have to draw a line. Kidnapping a Leaf Village genin seemed like a good place to draw said line.

"He's going to be our tracker." Itachi stated simply, voice lowering back to his disinterested monotone.

Kisame breathed out in exasperation at Itachi's tone. It was his 'What I say goes, I don't care what you might think' authoritarian tone. And every single time he used it, Kisame was stuck doing whatever he said.

Damn the Uchiha's kekkai genkai.

"A tracker?" Kisame asked, his own voice taking on a mocking tone, "You can't be serious, Uchiha! You can't possibly-"

"Be serious?" Itachi interrupted, blood red eyes speaking of dangerous violence to Kisame's mind if he chose to continue bothering him, "Do I ever joke around about anything, Hoshigaki?" He asked, then began to walk once more, passing Kisame without a second glance. "Kiba made a deal. He is to be our tracker. Now, stop being such a nuisance and continue walking. We are to go to the nearest village and set him up in a hotel bed so he can regain his strength."

After he had said this, the dark haired male continued walking on, never sparing Kisame another look. But the blue skinned man couldn't help but wonder just what Itachi had decided to do with the young Inuzuka. He tried to figure out just why the Sharingan bearer would want to employ the use of a tracker when they were already a good enough team without much external help. But soon enough his brain caught up with what was happening outside of it and he jogged after his partner.

"And what are we to do after he's regained his strength?You cannot possibly be thinking of making both of us babysitters to a Leaf Village brat." Kisame spit out the term with a lazy amount of hate because he truly had no problem with the kid. If anything, Itachi was the problem at the moment. Stupid Uchiha... Why did they have to be so stubborn?

A very annoyed sigh left Itachi and Kisame knew he was pushing the Uchiha. But he was one of the people that were able to talk to Itachi without being threatened after the first syllable left his mouth. If he could do that, then he could have a mature argument as well.

"After he is good enough to travel, we shall find his dog. An Inuzuka does not function very well without his partner." Itachi answered tightly, tone of voice speaking of his growing impatience with Kisame.

Kisame could only stare at his partner's back in disbelief, "Itachi, are you listening to yourself?! Do you have any idea of how positively insane and out of it you sound?"

"Kisame, shut up before I make you regret ever having been born."

This time, Itachi's voice left no room for argument. His whole body was tense and Kisame could see a slight quiver to his frame. And as soon as the swordsman noticed this, he shut his mouth and kept quiet. He had already pushed the Uchiha too far. If he tried to go any further, he may have ended up like the leader of the men they had murdered. And even though he couldn't see the reasoning behind taking in the Inuzuka brat as a tracker, he clearly wasn't going to get one from the very man that had struck the deal.

Sometimes, he really hated Itachi.

* * *

"S-Shino?"

Hinata's voice was as quiet as ever. But it crashed into Shino's musings in a violent manner that reminded him momentarily of Kiba's boisterous voice and made him look back at his teammate.

"What is it, Hinata?" The bug nin asked after a moment of catching up to what was going on around him.

They had been running for what seemed like hours now. But he had barely noticed the physical exertion it took because he was too busy inside his own mind to do so.

Kiba was left alone. After everything he had gone through, Shino and Hinata had allowed the most injured member of their team to stay behind and in the care of what could be enemy ninja. Like children, they had followed orders blindly without hesitation.

In the back of his mind, there was a voice telling him he had been a fool. Shino knew it was a dangerous decision to make to just leave Kiba alone, but he had also known that they could not have stayed where they were. What if another caravan of mercenaries captured them?

"W-we should be n-nearing the village in a f-few minutes." She informed him quietly, voice just above a whisper and Shino's already foul mood worsened for two reasons.

First of all, Hinata knew absolutely nothing of what had happened. If Shino had been left in the dark, then Hinata had never even seen the light when it came to the issue of what happened to Kiba because of those men. She had no idea of what torture he had been put through and could only try to grasp at straws when it came to figuring it out.

The second reason why his mood dampened was that they were nearing the village. Under normal circumstances, after a botched mission like this one, Shino would be relieved to return to his home. But this time he didn't have the comfort to feel any sense of ease at the familiar feeling of home. No, now he had to think of what he was going to tell the Hokage when she asked how they had managed to lose their teammate and contract on such a simple matter.

"S-Shino?" Hinata repeated, which made the bug nin look to his side.

They had stopped jumping. Shino had stopped for some reason and Hinata had followed suit. He had not noticed he had stopped until he saw Hinata beside him.

"Yes, Hinata?" He breathed out, turning to look away from the girl with the innocent eyes.

She had seen little of the terrors those men could unleash. And Shino thought himself pretentious if he dared say he had seen even a half of what they were capable. But without a doubt Kiba had not only seen everything, but also lived through it. And they had abandoned him when two older ninjas told them he would be cared for.

The moment of silence between the two was tense and uncomfortable. But Hinata soon spoke up with an edge to her voice that actually surprised her teammate.

"What did they do to Kiba kun?" She asked, eyes narrowed and filled with determination. "And please do no tell me you don't know! Because that would be a lie."

Shino was shocked to notice that Hinata did not stutter once when demanding this of him. On any other day, she would at least struggle with one word because of how shy she was. This situation with Kiba clearly affected more than just the dog nin himself and Shino.

"..." Shino struggled with what he could tell the girl. He was not sure what he should say or how much of the story he should tell her. Then he noticed that he did not want to have to explain the situation more than once and decided. "Wait until we debrief with the Hokage."

"The Hokage?" Hinata gasped, eyes widening. "W-why would we n-need t-to tell her anything?"

It wasn't customary for a team of genin to have to debrief a C-Ranked mission with the Hokage. Normally they would just tell whichever chunin or jonin was in charge at the moment and move on to receive their pay. The Hokage was only to be bothered with situations that meant ill for the village or one of its citizens.

"Because I do not think we are going to see Kiba again if we don't tell the Hokage of what happened." Shino explained coldly, then pushed his hands into his jacket's pockets and centered himself to jump once more. "When we get to the village, we head straight for the Hokage tower. It does not matter who may try to stop us, Hinata. We just need to tell Lady Tsunade of what dangers we befell and what happened to Kiba."

Then he took off once more, not allowing Hinata any chance to question his choices.

After a moment of staring after the older teen in stunned silence, Hinata's eyes narrowed and she nodded to herself. Even though she did not know what was going on, she knew she wanted to help Kiba. And Shino was the only one who knew what should be done. So she followed after him without any hesitation.

~/~

When the teenagers reached the walls of their village, they were greeted by an indifferent chunin that did not question why they returned so late from their mission, nor why they were missing a teammate. But as they ran through the streets to reach the Hokage's tower, they were met with a slightly worried Iruka Sensei, who followed after them.

"Shino? Hinata? Where are Akamaru and Kiba?" The man asked as he followed after both teens, not once trying to stop them but still doing his part to try and get some answers.

But Shino did not say a thing. Instead he kept his silence and did his best to continue running without faltering. They had been traveling all night long. And even though he was dead set on talking to the Hokage before he allowed himself any kind of rest, Shino knew that he was dead tired.

"Later, Iruka Sensei." Shino grunted, a sigh of slight relief escaping him when his eyes came upon the building they were set on entering.

"We will explain later, I-Iruka Sensei." Hinata muttered softly, an apologetic look coming over her face as she afforded the man one small glance before she looked forward once more. "We are near, Shino."

Shino murmured unintelligibly beneath his breath with a nod, then they both sped up and left Iruka staring after them in shock and worry. They were heading to the Hokage and did not have Kiba with them. A horrible feeling of unease settled in his stomach at the implications that came to mind about one of his old students.

If Shino hadn't been as worried and hurt as he had been, then maybe he wouldn't have had the audacity to muscle his way into the Hokage's office. If only Kiba had not been in danger, he may have actually been respectful and waited for his turn to see their leader. But because he was not in the mood to wait around, the bug nin had stormed straight into the woman's office, interrupting what might have been an important meeting between the blonde leader and Shizune.

"Shino Aburame!" Lady Tsunade scolded as soon as she recognized the sunglassed figure of the person that had entered her office so rudely, all the while a much more bashful Hinata shuffled in behind him. "What do you think you are doing?"

Before, as he had been running through the forest, then through the village, Shino had known exactly what he wanted to say to the Hokage. He knew that as soon as they met, he would tell the woman about how their mission had been ruined by an encampment of men and how the only reason they had managed to survive was because of Kiba's bravery. Then he would tell her about the men that had jumped in when they had and how dangerous he thought they were.

When they had first jumped down in front of he and Kiba, Shino's kikaichū had begun to stir, uncomfortable and alarmed at the very presence of them. There had been something dangerous about them that had made the bugs in him begin to worry, and he could taste the taste of death they carried about them through his connection with his kikaichū.

He had been prepared to tell her how they needed to send a team of capable jonin immediately to look for Kiba and after that, he was prepared to collapse there and then. He was prepared to finally allow himself to fee the fear and uncertainty he had pushed to the very back of his mind throughout the whole debacle.

But now that he stood in the office with the Hokage's full attention on him, a completely unforeseen burst of anger made its way into his heart. And he knew it was his heart because his brain was always logical and analytical and never allowed for his feelings to distract him. Yet for some reason, for the first time in his life, the feelings of hate and disdain in his chest pushed their way forcefully through the logic in his brain and forced him to glare at the Hokage.

"C-Ranked mission. It was supposed to be C-Ranked." He began in a soft yet spiteful voice, all of the pain he had seen in Kiba's eyes and hopelessness he had heard in Kiba's voice making their way to the forefront of his mind. "You promised us a simple mission that would aid for team building. But you did _not_ warn us about the group of roving mercenaries that would hold us hostage!"

As he had spoken, his voice had picked up volume until he was nearly yelling by the end of his last word. Now the teen's cheeks were flushed, his chest heaved in anger, and his eyes were narrowed at the shocked Hokage. Where had all these words come from? When had all this pain burrowed into his heart?

"S-Shino!" Hinata yelped in both surprise and worry, never having seen her teammate react so emotional about anything.

"What are you talking about?" The Hokage managed to get out past her surprise, blue eyes narrowing as she registered what the boy had said. "Mercenaries?"

"Yes!" Shino clipped, then looked away from the women in the room and out the nearest window, fists tightening as he thought on Kiba's broken and injured body. "They caught us by surprise and tortured Kiba! He was so injured we couldn't run the risk of fast travel with him! Or did you miss the fact that neither he nor Akamaru are with us?" The boy hissed, then breathed in deeply and closed his eyes.

He had to calm down. He would get nowhere by allowing his feelings to run this rampant. All he would really earn would be punishment because he had dared to mouth off to the Hokage.

As he tried to gain control of himself, Hinata looked wide eyed at the unamused blonde before them.

"Hinata, what is the meaning of this?" Tsunade almost growled, her mood less than stellar because of both teenagers. "How dare you two burst into my office this way? Are you that eager to be sent on a D-Ranked mission?" She threatened, but regretted it when Shino's mood seemed to grow darker.

The teen's bugs began to buzz animatedly and the blonde woman knew that this was not a good sign. If an Aburame's bugs were reacting like that in what was supposed to be a familiar setting, then whatever they were feeling was not something to take lightly.

"P-Please Hok-kage S-Sama." Hinata stuttered terribly, eyes wide and terrified while her hands and knees shook.

The sight of these two genin was worrisome. They both were shaking. And while Hinata's shivers came from fear and worry, Shino's were from pure anger. Hinata's quakes Tsunade knew how to handle. But never in her life had she seen an Aburame react to anything with more than passive indifference.

"What happened to Kiba?" Tsunade asked, managing to dash away the anger she was feeling at being yelled at with the promise to herself to get to the bottom of these kids' frazzled states. "Why is he not with you?"

"Because he couldn't travel." Shino answered through a tight jaw, words as tense as his body. "And we were foolish enough to leave him with two ninja that stumbled upon us..."

"T-They p-promised t-t-to t-take care of Kiba kun!" Hinata managed to make out, voice wavering like her hands.

"We shouldn't have left him." Shino growled to himself, raising his hands up to his hair to grasp at it in desperation, "We don't even know who they are! But we left Kiba there because we were too cowardly to help him."

"Shino!" Hinata gasped at the uncharacteristic actions of the boy, moving her hand to grab at his own but stopped a few inches shy of touching him because a small swarm of bugs cut her off.

"Children!" Tsunade yelled, slamming her hands onto her desk to grab their attention, "Calm down this instant!" She shouted, eyes moving threateningly from Hinata to Shino. "Sit down and breathe. Aburame, calm down before I have to call on your father."

Shino's eyes widened at the prospect of his father having to come down to calm him down and nodded shakily, trying to gain control of his body and his kikaichū once more. Hinata sat down without a second thought, grateful that Tsunade had yelled and stopped the situation from devolving further. She had never seen Shino like this. And it terrified her to see her teammate so frazzled.


	9. Communication

A few minutes after the Hokage had shouted at them, both Shino and Hinata sat in the chairs in front of Lady Tsunade's desk, now more composed than when they had entered the office. Shizune had left to fetch some tea for all three of the occupants of the office and the blonde woman now sat looking at the two teenagers with a critical eyes.

"Now... Before we can have any further miscommunication occur, could you please describe to me these ninja that stayed with Kiba?"

Shino nodded tensely and motioned to one of the bugs that fluttered onto the tip of his finger, "It was midnight. And while it wasn't easy for me to see, my kikai were able to discern some of the features of these ninja. They wore long black cloaks with some type of design on them. And they wore headbands... But it was odd."

Tsunade cocked her head slightly at the confused tone Shino's voice took, and asked, "Odd how?"

The boy sighed and scrubbed his face lightly with his hand, unsure how to proceed with all of the emotions raging inside of him. He was not accustomed to _feeling_ so much. But seeing his once happy and joyful teammate reduced to the pained mass that he had last seen... It had set off the minefield of sentiment that Shino was now subjected to.

Pain, desperation, hate, unsurety, and disappointment in himself were all just an ounce of everything he was feeling at the moment. And he hated how he was reacting to the situation.

"For some reason, I think they had a gash across the symbol of their village... One of my bugs crawled over the headband of the tallest ninja and it felt as if there was a gash through the very middle." His words were hesitant because he was not completely sure of what he was saying. A gash across the symbol of the village? That was unheard of. And it was beyond odd.

But from the way the Hokage's face froze up and her once questioning eyes widened marginally, Shino's uncertainty became curiosity.

"H-Hokage? D-Do you know what that could m-mean?" Hinata asked, her hands clasped tightly together on her lap as she looked at the woman before her.

But Tsunade didn't answer the girl's question. Instead she looked at Shino once more and asked, "Are you sure of what you think you saw? Black cloaks and gash across the village's symbol?"

Shino nodded once, "My bugs would never lie to me. And while it wasn't easy for me to see because of the darkness, my kikaichū's sense of sight in the darkness was only heightened by it."

For some reason neither teen understood, these words worried the Hokage. She leaned back in her chair and clasped both hands beneath her chin, eyes narrowing in thought.

Hinata and Shino chanced a glance at each other and exchanged curious looks, but soon turned back to the blonde woman when she spoke up once more.

"Brief me on your whole mission. From the beginning all the way until when you _reached_ the village. Leave no details out."

Truth be told, Shino and Hinata were kind of confused by the sudden severity the woman's voice had adopted. But they were slightly comforted by it in a way as well. If the Hokage took this much interest in the matter, then it might mean that she wanted to get Kiba back into the village as soon as possible.

They were completely oblivious of just how dangerous the Hokage thought those men could actually be.

* * *

When Kiba awoke, he was knocked for a loop.

Where had the stinging pain in his arms gone? Where was the chaffing on his wrists? And why didn't he feel like he was dangling anymore?

Blinking lazily at the slight darkness he was surrounded by, Kiba was surprised to see that he could move all of his limbs freely. Then, when he moved his head to look down at himself, he found a soft cot beneath him. With his eyes wide, the boy sat up- all the while the covers over his body fell and pooled at his lap- and looked around the environment he found himself in at the moment.

He was in a room. Not in the middle of a cold and uncaring forest. Now he found himself in a warm and comfortable room that he guessed must have belonged to a hotel.

"What the?" He asked himself softly, raising his hand to place it on his head, only to see that the bandages that had once been bloodied had been changed by fresh ones at some point. "Where am I?"

"You are safe."

Kiba jumped at the monotone voice that carried into the room from behind a screen door, then looked on in wide eyes as the screen was pushed back and he was met with one of the men from the past night. If he remembered correctly, this was Itachi. The one that had given him his cloak to ward off the cold of the night. The one that smelled of death yet radiated comfort.

The boy looked on at Itachi with wide eyes for a moment without knowing what to say but managed to take in the cloak he now wore once more. After taking note of the fact that he was no longer wrapped up in the oddly comforting garment, Kiba shook his head and looked down at his feet. Memories of what had happened the last night were beginning to come back to him. Kisame and Itachi were their names. Kisame had murdered all of the men in the camp. Itachi had stopped Kiba from killing the leader. And now...

He didn't want to believe it.

Kiba sighed at the thought. Even if he didn't want to believe it, he couldn't deny the fact that it was true. He had made yet another deal with people he did not know. Sometimes he wondered how stupid he truly was.

"Um..." Kiba didn't really know what he should say. His mouth opened and closed for a moment, then his brain snatched onto something to say and he was able to ask, "Where are we?"

The dark haired man slightly quirked one eyebrow at Kiba as he walked to the middle of the room. He stood there and did not move, dark eyes running over Kiba's form in a way that made the Inuzuka squirm slightly.

"You are safe. Do you really need to know more than that?" The voice was barely curious, more monotonous than even Shino's. Kiba felt bad for even having tried to ask anything and he looked down at his hands, but was surprised when the man continued speaking, "The little town I believe you were heading to when your team was interrupted."

Kiba's ears perked up as soon as he heard this because he knew what it indirectly meant. He was close to Akamaru. And after being kept so far away from the dog for so long, Kiba was in desperate need to be slobbered. Yet, at the same time he became worried at the knowledge of the deal he had struck with Itachi really taking place.

It was really going to happen. He couldn't run away from it. He had shunned his village in exchange for the safety of his friends. And now he was to become a deserter to offer tracking services to two men he didn't even know. Two men that smelled of death and blood.

The thought made his stomach churn and tears prick at his eyes.

He would never see his mother again. Or his sister. Or Shino and Hinata. For that matter, he'd never see anyone from the village ever again... Not without being judged for turning his back on his home.

A soft sigh escaped the boy's lips as he moved to take the covers off of his lap, but found himself stopped by Itachi suddenly placing his hands on his own.

"I do not want you to garner the wrong idea."

Quite frankly, those words worried Kiba immediately. Just what was hidden beneath that thin piece of cloth that the other man wanted to clear up before being revealed?

At Kiba's questioning glance, the long haired male elaborated, "Your clothes were in tatters. They were not salvageable. So when I changed your bandages, I threw them away." If it weren't for the fact that the man's voice was so calming, Kiba may have started to freak out over having been so vulnerable.

But there was something about this man... It wasn't just his monotonous voice that helped Kiba's state calm instead of allowing it to frazzle. There was something about the smell that came from him that made Kiba feel safe and sound. He had never been much of a listener back when his mother wanted to give him lessons on the Inuzuka clans very in tune instincts and now he was finding himself cursing his ignorance.

What could these feelings mean?

"But," Itachi continued, and Kiba looked up at him to look into his disinterested yet honest eyes, "I did send Kisame out to bring you some clothing. He should be back shortly. Please rest until he does."

The man's tone held no hidden care. There was no kindness on his face. Yet, Kiba felt that Itachi was taking care of him for more than to just heal him to use his services.

He must be going insane.

With a soft nod, Kiba let go of the covers he had been gripping and received a second more of Itachi looking at him coolly before turning away and going to the window in the room. He stood there for a minute or so, time Kiba spent analyzing him and sizing him up, then there was a knock on the door Kiba guessed was on the other side of the screen and he heard the sound of a door opening.

"I got the brat's shit." The growling and rather annoyed tone of Itachi's partner reverberated around the room as the man lumbered into the room, a plastic bag gripped in his hand and an annoyed scowl on his face.

He chucked the bag at Kiba without barely a glance at the boy and frowned at Itachi. "Happy?"

"Extremely." The black haired male replied with sarcasm dripping from each syllable, then he turned to Kiba, effectively shutting Kisame up before the man could say anything else, "Dress. Your wounds have healed enough for you to be able to walk around and search for your dog."

Once more Kiba only nodded. Itachi spared one last look at him before he walked back towards the divider, then he and Kisame walked to the other half of the room and allowed Kiba his privacy.

Closing his eyes tightly, Kiba breathed in and tried to prepare himself to deal with the pain that would undoubtedly come from his body when he tried to dress himself. He knew that it was only a matter of time before everything the bastards had done to him caught up with him. It actually surprised him that he hadn't yet broken down in shame and humiliation. But he knew that the panic attack he had forced away throughout the whole ordeal would eventually hit him with full force.

When he was sure he wasn't going to scream out at whatever sight met him, Kiba grabbed onto the covers that were over him and pulled them away. Itachi had... Well, he had been right in warning Kiba to not think the worst. Because, seeing his almost complete state of undress, if he had not been explained the situation beforehand, Kiba would have thought the worst.

After all, if he had been used by men before, why would Itachi or Kisame not take the same pleasures?

With an audible gulp, Kiba's hands shook as they ghosted over his bandaged legs. Every inch of skin was covered in that white cloth. There was no tanned skin to be seen from his legs.

Just how horrible had the wounds been to leave him in this almost mummified state?

"Don't look, Kiba... Don't show any more weakness to these guys..." Kiba mumbled to himself as he began to think of how he was to dress now.

Cautiously to not jar any of his wounds, Kiba moved his arms and hands to grab the bag that had landed a few inches away from his waist and found himself thinking something stupid. Even though Kisame clearly didn't like him, he had chucked the bag far enough away from him to ensure Kiba would not get hit if he had miscalculated in his aim. Maybe these two weren't as... No. The thought was stupid and made Kiba chastise himself.

They didn't care about him. They just wanted him healthy enough to find Akamaru and begin to service them as a tracker.

Kiba had known that he wasn't the strongest or smartest back at the academy, but had been content in being useful for his unique skills. Now, though, that he was a bit older and wiser, he knew that no matter what he did, that was the only reason he'd ever be useful. Not for the personality and emotional traits that separated him from his friends. He was only useful because of his nose.

He reached into the bag Kisame had thrown his way and pulled out a simple white t-shirt and decided to end with that. Pulling the shirt over his injured arms would be hassle, but trying to get it over his head and down his chest seemed like an impossible task with how much moving hurt. So he then pulled out a pair of boxers from the bag and breathed out.

He could do this. He could dress himself. He was an Inuzuka! Of course he could get dressed!

Shutting his eyes tightly as he moved his legs over the edge of the bed, Kiba hissed at the pain that ran up from the balls of his feet all the way to his waist. Those bastards had done a number on him... He hated them.

Soft whines escaped his lips as he gripped the boxer's cloth tightly and moved his arms and doubled over to pull the article of clothing over his feet and legs. This was going to be a slow going process. Just from having moved his body to a good position to pull the boxers onto his feet caused him to feel a kind of burning pain he had honestly never felt before.

With growing impatience and pain, the Inuzuka managed to pull the boxers all the way up to his mid thigh before he had to stop himself and catch his breath. He was panting heavily, as if he were caught in the middle of a difficult fight, not just putting on some underwear...

A frustrated scowl found its way onto the boy's face and he couldn't help but feel hopeless at the situation.

Getting dressed was a horrible task... How could anything else he did be any better? Just from the way his legs ached, walking would be a trial in an of itself... He was _not_ looking forward to having to face all the pain that would come from doing the simplest of tasks.

But he had to get dressed. He couldn't show Itachi and Kisame just how broken he truly was... He couldn't let them know because he couldn't let them take any advantage of him.

Trying to catch his breath, Kiba glared down at the article of clothing by his thighs and nodded to himself in determination. He was going to get them on. Even if it was the last thing he did.

The boy breathed in deeply in preparation of what he was about to do. It would bring him a lot of pain. But it would also ensure he wasn't completely naked anymore. So, with one final intake of breath, the Inuzuka snapped his hips upwards and pulled the boxers up the rest of the way.

The pain that coursed through him was almost unbearable. It was like a wildfire that began from his ass all the way up to his shoulders, then continued on to his wrists and the tips of his fingers. Actually, it was so bad that Kiba threw himself back onto the cot and closed his eyes tightly to try and fight back the tears that were forming, even though he was unsuccessful in this endeavor.

Tears flowed from his eyes as the boy breathed in and out heavily, trying to keep his body as stiff as possible to not move and not jolt his injuries further.

For a few minutes, the only sound that filled the room was the harsh breaths that escaped Kiba, along with a few sniffles and whimpers of pain.

As he lay there in pain, he heard a soft knock come from the other side of the room and couldn't help but hiss in frustration.

Why couldn't he stop crying?

"Inuzuka, I'm coming in." Itachi's stern tone floated in from the doorway, then the man pulled back the room's divider and looked at Kiba's prone form on the cot.

His face showed no emotions. No surprise, no compassion... Nothing.

Kiba didn't know if this made him feel any better or worse.

After standing by the divider for a second or two, the long haired male made his way towards Kiba and knelt beside him.

"You got your underwear on." He observed with little interest, his right hand picking up the shirt Kiba had forgone at the beginning of the process. "I am guessing it hurts too much to move."

That had not been a question. It was said with much more surety than what would ever be used for a question.

This was humiliating. Kiba couldn't believe this was actually happening to him. Was he really so weak that he couldn't dress himself? Was he really so weak he needed help for such a simple task?

"Can you raise your arms?"

Without a word, Kiba did as told, breath hitching at the pain that spiked once more. He kept his gaze down on the floor all the while Itachi helped him dress, not able to look at the older male with the humiliated feeling that began to blossom in his chest. Once Kiba had the shirt on, Itachi reached into the bag beside the boy and took out the simple black pair of pants Kisame had bought.

"Do you need help to stand up?"

Biting his bottom lip almost harshly, Kiba nodded softly. Not once did he look at the taller male as he helped the boy stand up from the cot. He couldn't bring himself to.

He hated this. All of it.

Once Itachi finished helping him put the pants on, Kiba slowly fell back onto the cot and ground his teeth together as pain overtook him once more.

He missed the softening of Itachi's face as the older male moved to grab the sandals Kisame had also bought.


	10. Reconnecting

Shino finished retelling everything that had happened to him and his teammates with a large exhale.

He had never spoken so much in his life. But Hinata was in no condition to speak- her nerves barely allowed her to make a competent sentence. Besides, she did know the complete story like Shino did... At least, a good part of what had happened to Kiba.

When Shino had explained the torture the Inuzuka had been put through, Hinata had seemed ready to faint. But, to her credit, the girl had tried to put on a brave face before the Hokage and keep her horrified feelings to herself. Shino had found his pride in the girl swell at how well she hid her feelings, even though he also felt rather bad because of the circumstances they now found themselves under.

"They called themselves Itachi and Kisame..." Shino breathed out by the end, all the while he leaned back in his chair with heavy eyes.

If he had been feeling exhausted before, he was beyond staying awake at this point. After having told the Hokage everything that had happened to them, a dawning had come over the boy. Now that he had said it all out loud, he began to understand the complete severity of the situation and Kiba's choices. And the stern look the woman's face wore made the clenching in Shino's chest become just a bit tighter.

"And you are sure of all of this? Hinata, you are sure you saw nothing?" The Hokage asked as she turned to Hinata, sparing Shino one sympathetic glance before turning her stern gaze on the young girl.

Hinata nodded softly, raising her hands to the front of her mouth.

Shino had never understood why she did this. But it seemed to be a type of comforting mechanism that not even the girl noticed. Like biting nails or tugging on hair.

"Ah... H-Hokage S-Sama, I was k-kept in the s-same c-c-cell the whole time..." She whispered, head lowering slightly while her hands remained in front of her mouth. "I o-only saw Kiba k-kun when they... W-when th-those m-m-me-men..."

She couldn't finish that sentence. The tears she had been fighting the whole time Shino spoke burst from her without control and the girl hid her face in her hands as she began to sob. Shino felt bad for not being able to comfort his teammate, but he could barely deal with the situation himself. Unfortunately, he would not be able to help comfort the distraught Hinata.

He really wished Kiba was here.

The bug nin had never really noticed just how much he and Hinata relied on his teammate to fill the gaps of silence until now. Whenever they were to hand in their mission statements, it was always Kiba to speak loudly and exaggerate what they had done. It had always been the Inuzuka to argue how their missions had been worth more than what they were being paid or annoy the person debriefing them with terrible jokes.

Shino missed the Inuzuka's loud ways. He never thought he'd ever find himself thinking this, but he was sure of it. The silence between he and Hinata was not uncomfortable, but it was missing something... It was missing Kiba's obnoxious voice to shatter it.

He had been the one to insist to leave... Hinata hadn't wanted to leave Kiba. Shino had been the one to listen to Itachi without a second thought rather than argue to stay together.

The bug nin's hands tightened around the material of his pants just above his knees, body tensing as his eyes closed. He couldn't deal with these emotions. He couldn't deal with the guilt or the worry. He had no idea how to. Kiba had always been the one to allow his emotions to run rampant, he had always been the one to help the other two deal with their confusing emotions.

"I understand." The Hokage finally spoke up after a few minutes of tense silence, silence that was only ever broken by Hinata's soft cries and Shino's kikkai buzzing in response to his pain. "Shizune went ahead and looked for your father, Shino, and your cousin, Hinata. They are waiting for you outside."

Both teens looked up at the blonde woman in surprise, but Shino couldn't help but be slightly relieved. Even though his father was distant, he was never cold. And he knew how to deal with his son. And Hinata had Neji to look after her. While Neji was no Kiba, he knew how to deal with his cousin almost as well as Kiba did. Shino took some comfort in knowing they wouldn't be left alone now.

After she had made the announcement, the office's door opened with a calm Shizune followed by two stone faced males. The first had half of his face covered and was much taller than either of his companions and Shino felt himself warm at his sight. His father was here now. Everything would be fine.

The second was much shorter and not more than a chuunin, but he carried himself with an air of self respect and pride that one would be foolish to doubt his skills. Neji Hyuuga had never been on Shino's list of pleasant people to be around, but he could admit the other teen had grown since the chuunin exams and cared for his cousin. Hinata would need the calm comfort her cousin exuded.

"Shibi. Neji." The Hokage greeted with a nod as she rose from her chair, then motioned to both genin seated before her. "You may take these two away."

Both males nodded respectfully at the Hokage, then waited for Shino and Hinata to get up. Shino did so shakily and walked towards his father stiffly, eyes beginning to droop in exhaustion. Hinata managed to get up and take one step forward before her eyes closed and her body gave out on her. Luckily, Neji managed to catch her before she fell.

"What happened?" He asked in alarm, eyes widening minutely as he looked from his cousin's now unconscious body to the Hokage.

Tsunade sighed softly, be it from annoyance or worry, Shino was not sure, then answered, "She has wasted all her chakra. If you wish, you can take her to the hospital. Although I think it would be best for her to rest in her home."

Shibi's large hand fell on Shino's shoulder and the teen looked up at his father. Even though neither spoke a word, both had a silent conversation that spoke volumes. Shibi was worried and wanted to know if Shino could make the walk home. Shino sighed out and shook his head. This made the older Aburame quirk an eyebrow, but he still nodded and patted his shoulder.

The last thing Shino could completely process before he allowed sleep to take him was his father's warm arms wrapping around him in a protective embrace.

~/~

After Neji and Shibi had left with their respective charges, Tsunade allowed a worried frown to take over her features.

"Shizune, get me Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai." The blonde's rough voice broke through the silence that had fallen over them without any complication.

The dark haired woman jumped slightly at the serious tone that had come from the usually calmed woman, "L-Lady Tsunade?"

But Tsunade did not explain herself. "I want those three in this room yesterday, Shizune! Go!"

The anger that came from the woman's body shocked and confused Shizune, but she soon nodded and took off running, in search of three jonin Tsunade had called for.

* * *

Kiba's jaw was so tight he could feel his teeth creaking under the pressure. Sweat beaded down his forehead and he tried his best to not shut his eyes tightly to concentrate on what he was doing.

He had been right. If getting dressed proved to be almost impossible, doing anything else would force him to work through so much pain that he literally wanted to just collapse onto the floor and never wake up again.

But Itachi forced him to walk. For some reason, the tall man made Kiba walk through the pain and face the limits Kiba had set on himself.

"You will walk and you will find your dog." Itachi had stated simply, as if what he was asking of the boy was a simple task.

And, under normal circumstances, it _would_ have been a simple task. But with Kiba as wounded and pained as he currently was, walking seemed almost as impossible as him beating any of the Kages. In the back of the dog nin's mind, he was thinking about how unfair Itachi was being and how he wished he was just given _one_ day of rest before he was forced to start working.

But Kiba knew better than to put all of his emotions into those thoughts. He had been raised, after all, by Tsume Inuzuka. And if there was one thing his mother truly was, was merciless. The woman could be a nice and caring mother whenever she wanted to be, but the simplest truth to the leader of the Inuzuka clan was that she was no pushover and she refused to give her children any reason to think they could be.

Kiba had hated training with his mother when he was younger. Heck, he still did. She never held anything back and always made sure to throw insults at Kiba whenever he began to struggle to get up from the floor. Her strong character coupled with adrenaline coursing through her blood stream ensured that she never pulled any of her punches. And she had not helped him dress the wounds he received in any type of training ever since he had grown old enough to do it himself.

The Inuzuka clan wasn't a clan of heartless mongrels, no matter what the gossip around the town was. Most of the villagers saw the rough treatment that Tsume gave her children, along with the same treatment some parents of the clan gave their own kids, and immediately inferred that there was no love in their ranks. Which was a huge misconception. The Inuzukas weren't cruel but they weren't stupid either. So they taught their children to stand firm on their own two feet _before_ they were kicked down by life to enforce the value of being strong when things are well, but be untameable when life tried to beat them down.

After all, this was a clan that trusted their canine instincts and barely paid mind to human ones. Taming an Inuzuka was virtually impossible because of their whole hearted trust in their instincts coupled with their tough upbringing.

"You are falling behind."

Kiba hissed at the cold words directed his way and spared a one-eyed glare at Itachi before he shut his eye once more and tried to contain his pain.

"Itachi, the brat's legs are barely able to hold him. Thinking we could take him anywhere of his own accord was stupid of you."

Oh, Kiba could just imagine the intense glare that Itachi would undoubtedly give Kisame. And, if he could be honest, he didn't completely mind their companionship. Even though both men usually maintained their silence and Kisame seemed to have a grudge against the Inuzuka, Kiba had come to find out that, of the two, Kisame was the one with a funny bone. A rather sarcastic, rude, and slightly demented funny bone, but a funny bone indeed. And Itachi seemed to always hold himself to respect standards that reminded Kiba a lot of Sasuke's own- back when the boy was still in the village.

On more than one occasion Kiba had been granted a reprieve from the pain in the form of amusement because of the way these two very different attitudes clashed.

"Kisame, I did not ask for your opinion." Itachi's voice held annoyance deep inside of it and Kiba was able to quirk the left edge of his mouth slightly at that.

He could then hear grumbling from Kisame, then, very lowly, heard, "You still got it..."

If he hadn't been in so much pain, Kiba would have burst out laughing. But because, even though the interaction had distracted him a bit, the pain was still at the forefront of his mind, he settled to just be amused and not show it with his face.

A wave of silenced washed over the group of three as Kiba tried to regain his composure, then, once Itachi deemed enough time had passed, moved so he stood behind Kiba and placed a soft hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Inuzuka. You can make the walk." Itachi's voice was, once more, devoid of any emotions, and the man nudged the teen's shoulder to get him to move.

Kiba's teeth ground together once more as his legs were forced to move, fire shooting up through his whole body as his aching body was forced to plow through all the pain.

But he could move. He _had_ to move! He was an _Inuzuka!_ A proud clan that allowed _nothing_ to stop them. If his mother could complete dangerous assassination missions while six months pregnant, then he could _move_.

With the pride of his clan swelling in his chest and forcing him to prove himself to those around him, Kiba forced his legs to make the necessary steps to continue walking. First his right leg lifted and he was able to plant his foot with a hiss of pain, but managed to keep his footing. Then he was able to do the same with his left leg. Then the process repeated with the right, then left, then right once more.

Itachi's hand on his shoulder was both warm and heavy. It gave the Inuzuka a sense of 'someone's here with you' and gave him slight comfort. But it was also a reminder of how _weak_ he was to not be able to walk without that comfort.

He had been able to take ten slow and unbearable steps before both of his knees buckled and he fell to the floor. His knees hit the ground first, then the boy managed to throw his arms out to not impact the ground completely, and swallowed up a shout of agony when shocks of pure _pain_ jolted up from the palms of his hands and violently made their way up to his shoulders.

Itachi had not grabbed him. This was the first time since they had met that Itachi had not moved to grab Kiba when he fell. And Kiba was grateful for this.

He was an Inuzuka. He was better than this. _Stronger_ than this.

Baring his teeth in frustration, Kiba felt tears prick at his eyes. His long nails dug into the ground below as he curled his hands. And his breathing came out heavy and slow.

He was succumbing to hopelessness again. There was no reason for him to continue trying. He was already a failure as a shinobi and a traitor to his village. Really, he should quit trying to do anything. He did not deserve to be an Inuzuka.

With his eyes still closed, Kiba was able to hear the rustle of a cloak then a soft grunt. Then he was able to feel a hand on either of his shoulders, but instantly knew they weren't Itachi's. These hands were larger, colder. Maybe it was Kisame.

"I told you he couldn't do it, Itachi. Why don't you ever listen to me, you hard headed idiot?" Kisame growled near Kiba and the boy couldn't help but feel a wave of repulsion wash over him.

It wasn't repulsion towards Kisame. He didn't think he would be able to feel anything bad towards the man that, even with a terrible attitude, showed with small words and bad jokes that he cared about Kiba to some degree. No, this wave of negative feelings was directed at none other than himself.

He should be stronger.

But he wasn't.

He had always hated crying. It was a sign of weakness and if any Inuzuka ever saw anyone from their clan crying, they would immediately begin to ridicule and mock the sad member. But he had found himself doing a lot of it in these past few days...

"You're coddling him."

"No, I'm just trying to keep the kid from _dying_."

"You didn't even want him around."

Kisame's sigh was harsh and annoyed, and his voice hid none of these emotions, "Well you decided you wanted to have a puppy and now we have one. I'm just trying to make sure you don't end up _killing him_."

Kiba opened his eyes with some effort then and found Kisame glaring up at Itachi, the blue man's body in front of Kiba's own. His hands were still on his shoulders, but they weren't applying any pressure. It was odd, Kiba thought. That even after everything he had gone through, he did not flinch away from these two whenever they moved to touch him.

But he didn't think anything of it at the time. It would be later on that he would understand what him allowing Kisame and Itachi to touch him implied.

At that moment, though, he glanced up at Itachi to see the long haired male glaring down at Kisame. The anger in his eyes was almost palpable and Kiba couldn't help but flinch slightly and look away.

Kisame looked at him when he felt the flinch, then snarled up at Itachi.

Whatever words the blue man said, though, were lost to Kiba. Because it was just at that moment that his nose caught the faint smell of a very familiar scent.

His eyes widened at what he thought was Akamaru's scent, then he called out, "Akamaru!" without caring about the two men with him.

"Akamaru, I'm here! Come here, boy!" He called out almost wildly, then closed his eyes and began to sniff at the air, moving his head from side to side to try and see just where the scent was coming from.

Faintly, he heard Kisame mutter, "What's an Akamaru?", but he didn't pay any mind to him or Itachi.

He could smell Akamaru! And if he had been able to move, the boy would have sprinted off after the scent without a second thought.

But his body was heavy. He could barely move his arms, much less his legs. He was stuck in the same place even as his chest began to swell with the hope of seeing his best friend again.

"Akamaru! Come on, bud! If you can hear me, bark!" He shouted out, a sense of despair beginning to make his throat close up when he though he lost the scent. "Please don't leave me, boy!"

His heart was beating so loud that he could barely hear anything else. The boy tensed up as he strained his hearing to try and hear his best friend's barking, and he closed his eyes as tears reappeared.

Please. He wanted Akamaru to come to him. He _needed_ his buddy.

As the seconds passed and no bark came, Kiba could feel what small bit of happiness he may have tried to grasp at with his best friend slowly drift away. He had felt hopeless, but he had always maintained the hope of having Akamaru by his side once more. But now... If he didn't regain his best friend... It would _kill_ him.

He could hear Kisame shift before him, and snapped his eyes open to see the blue man's open, most probably to tell the kid to compose himself, but Kiba's ears twitched at what he thought was the yip of his best friend. Without much thought, Kiba turned his head in the direction he had heard the noise from and called, "Come on, Akamaru! Come to me!"

His heart was beating so fast he swore it would burst out of his chest. But the more he waited, the more sure he became of himself. There it was! Akamaru's barking! He could hear it now!

"Akamaru!" He yelled once more, then smiled broadly when he heard what was undeniably Akamaru's response.

A few more seconds of silence passed, then suddenly Akamaru burst through some the foliage of the forest, barking in pure happiness as he made his way towards his master.

"Oh, Akamaru!" Kiba's relief shown on his face and he surprised both Kisame and Itachi by managing to push himself up from the floor and rest on his haunches.

He was in pain as he moved. That much was clear from his face. But no amount of pain could cut through the amount of sheer ecstasy the kid was feeling now that Akamaru was in his sight.

The dog ran at Kiba in full speed, not slowing even at the sight of the bandages around him. And when he was close enough, the animal jumped onto Kiba, yipping and barking and yapping as he felt Kiba's arms wrap around him.

"Akamaru! I've missed you, boy!" Kiba sobbed, allowing his tears to fall now that he had his best friend with him.

His arms clutched onto Akamaru tightly, terrified that if he were to slacken the grip even marginally, the dog would be taken away. But even with his body screaming at him to not overdo it, Kiba exerted himself in holding on to his dog.

"I've missed you... _So much..._ "

And Kiba didn't care at that moment if Itachi and Kisame saw him cry. Because now he had his best friend with him.


	11. Preparations

"So... Why are we stuck in this place at this godforsaken hour?"

Kurenai couldn't help but wince at Kakashi's, enigmatically enough, annoyed yet calmed tone of voice. It was a bit too early in the morning, yeah, but she didn't mind. Usually, being called to the Hokage's office by Shizune herself meant that the blonde woman had a job to offer. And, seeing how her team was still out on their own mission, she had time to kill.

Lady Tsunade's blue eyes narrowed at Kakashi's tone, but instead of answering him, she turned her eyes to Kurenai.

The woman had yet to hear about what had happened to her students. And Tsunade was at a slight loss about how to break the news to her. Even though Shinobi were not supposed to become emotionally attached, it was almost inevitable for teachers to form bonds with their students. And Tsunade knew for a fact that Kurenai saw her team as almost her own children.

With a soft sigh, the Hokage narrowed her eyes and became determined. She was not about to sugar coat anything. And Kurenai was tough enough to hear this news and do her job accordingly.

"Some two hours ago Team 8 returned from their mission to a town on the outskirts of the Land of Fire. Their mission was unsuccessful, for, even though they believe they were able to get the merchant back to her village, they were not completely sure." The Hokage told the jonin before her with a business like air about her, hoping to keep all formalities in the room from giving way to emotions.

Kurenai quirked an eyebrow at the information but said nothing. It was odd that the Hokage was informing her of this with two more Shinobi in the room, but knew that the woman must have had her reasons for doing so. So the dark haired woman kept quiet to allow the other to continue.

"The group of genin ran into two different complications. The first was dangerous and kept them from traveling any further, yet it gave way to a complication I am sure you all will agree with me is more than just a danger to the team, but also to the village."

Tsunade couldn't help but frown at herself. Even though she wanted to tell them everything that had happened as soon as possible, she was still falling to her ways of spinning tales.

Silence fell over the group as the blonde allowed the three before her to process the information, then Kakashi spoke up.

"Just how dangerous could a failed genin team's mission be?"

"Incredibly, Hatake." The Hokage's eyes narrowed in on the man, then her voice hardened, "I believe you were the ones to meet in battle against two members of the Akatsuki, correct? Itachi Uchiha and his accomplice from the Land of Mist, Kisame?"

The reaction was immediate. All three jonin's relaxed stances became defensive and tense, their eyes alert and questioning.

"Yes, we did, Lady Hokage." Kurenai answered, then asked, "But what do those two have to do with my team?"

"Kurenai, remember your rank and your duties as a Shinobi." The Hokage replied with command, hoping that the woman would not do anything brash as soon as she was told of what had happened to her student. "Your team was captured by a caravan of dangerous mercenaries that attacked them. Kiba Inuzuka decided that, in order to keep his teammates safe, he was to sacrifice his body and entertain the men."

Kurenai's dark eyes widened as she felt her heart clench at the words. This couldn't have been happening. Not to her team.

"He.. Is he..." _Dead_. But Kurenai couldn't bring herself to utter the word.

Much to the three jonin's surprise, the blonde shook her head, "He is alive, we believe. But... Shino informed me of some of the _activities_ those men partook in with Kiba."

A relieved breath burst through Kurenai at the information. Even if her student was injured, he wasn't dead. That meant he'd be able to recuperate and get better once more. She didn't fully understand what the blonde meant by activities, but she couldn't make herself try and figure it out. She wasn't sure she would want to know.

Asuma placed a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder as he looked at her with soft eyes, glad that the woman would not be forced to live through the death of a student just yet. Kurenai raised her hand to lightly touch his, giving him a small smile in turn for his kindness.

Unfortunately, their moment of relief was cut short when Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Well, knowing the Inuzuka heir will live is fine and all... But that really is information for Kurenai only... There was no need for Asuma and I to be here, Lady Tsunade."

"May I finish speaking before you come to any conclusions, Kakashi?" The blonde asked but continued to speak without allowing the silver haired man to retort. "The reason why I even _mention_ _ed_ the Akatsuki is because of the situation Kiba wound up in trying to keep his teammates safe. Shino Aburame told me that last night he was strung up beside Kiba to become part of the mercenaries' entertainment. But before anything could happen to them, two cloaked figures landed in front of them and helped them escape. The price for the help, though?" The Hokage breathed out heavily now, feeling the weight of the village on her shoulders now, "Kiba was too injured to travel. He was left behind with Itachi and Kisame, per their request."

"What?" Kurenai gasped out, eyes widening once more as her heart clenched even tighter than before.

It was one thing to know your student had died... But it was even more terrifying to know he was in the hands of _monsters_.

"This must be a mistake!" Asuma looked at Kurenai's devastated state and he immediately began to worry.

But he worried not only for Kurenai and Kiba, he also worried for the fate of the village. Kiba did not know any of the village's secrets, so they were safe on that front, but there were so many outcomes to be had from having a fellow ninja in the clutches of the enemy. The boy was not a security issue, but the enemy's plans were usually never clear until they had come to fruition and laid waste.

"No mistake, Asuma." The blonde replied, face cold and harsh. "Kiba Inuzuka is now in the hands of Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. _This_ is why I called you three here, Kakashi. To give you an S-Ranked mission of utmost importance."

Kakashi hummed in thought for a moment, lazily eyeing Kurenai and Asuma, then spoke up, "Pick up their trail and bring Kiba back home, correct?"

The Hokage nodded, "The Inuzuka clan has the best trackers in all of our village. But they all would be too emotionally invested to allow to go. Which is where you and your pack come into play, Kakashi." She informed the three, then looked at Asuma and Kurenai, "And you three have already experienced battled against these two foes and know of the dangers of the Akatsuki. I wish to keep this incident under wraps to keep the village from worrying."

"Because knowing that Kiba is now in the hands of those two might make them feel that Kiba was turned against Konoha." Kurenai breathed out, eyes wide.

The Hokage nodded once more, "Yes. But also to keep anyone that does not need to know of this from spinning up any exaggerated reasons as to why Itachi and Kisame wanted to keep a Leaf Village genin with them."

She knew that in the game of war, kidnapping genins was nothing new. It was despicable and downright dirty, but it happened. And it usually worked to raise a given village's number of strong ninja to use against their enemies.

"When..." Kurenai spoke up, voice strained and eyes aflame. "When do we leave, Lady Tsunade?"

The woman's fire made Tsunade smirk. Even though Kurenai was emotionally attached to Kiba, she was an able minded ninja that knew what to do to get the job done. And now that her main job was to get Kiba back, she knew that Kurenai would not stop until she had succeeded.

"As soon as possible."

The three didn't need any more information or pushing after that. They immediately left the Hokage's office to go after the two missing nins and one abducted genin.

* * *

"They will be sending a team after him."

"I know."

"Which means we're going to be hunted down once more."

"I am aware, Hoshigaki."

"... Have you even thought up of a logical explanation to our leader? Preferably one that sways him into actually going along with your total lapse in judgement?"

The only answer Kisame received was a clearly annoyed grunt from his partner.

The lack of an answer made Kisame sigh as he uncrossed his arms and looked at the younger male from below the brim of his hat. They both now wore the complete Akatsuki uniform, having recovered their hats when they reached the hotel where they had stayed before completing their mission. Which happened to be the very hotel were Kiba now found himself resting in.

Itachi was being unusually silent. Even though the man barely ever uttered a single word on a normal day, this type of silence was worrying to Kisame. He could almost _see_ the worry that clung to the Uchiha. And he seemed to always be caught up inside his own mind, barely ever paying any mind to whatever the swordsman tried to tell him.

This would seem fine to anyone that did not know Itachi, but Kisame knew him well enough to be able to tell when something was wrong. And while Itachi usually always seemed to be caught inside his own mind, he was always alert and ready to fight. But now, Kisame had actually managed to catch him by surprise.

"You think they'll send someone from his family?"

Kisame had learned in the past days that Itachi didn't pay much attention to anything he said unless it deal with one Kiba Inuzuka.

That young genin from the Hidden Leaf was another reason why Kisame believed he was right to be slightly worried. Itachi actually seemed to care about Kiba. Oh, he may try to hide it from Kisame and keep an indifferent look about him whenever the genin was mentioned, but the traitor of the Hidden Mist had been around the Uchiha clan's killer to know when his indifference was genuine and when it was forced. He just allowed Itachi to keep thinking that he had yet to figure out his apparent attachment to the young genin.

The kid had been laid up in bed the past two days. Itachi had decided that he would be of no use as a tracker if he could not move and allowed him to rest in bed with Akamaru to keep him company. But to Kisame, it seemed more like Itachi felt guilty for having pushed the boy into collapsing when he insisted on searching for his four legged partner.

"They wouldn't." Itachi spoke up after a minute or so of thought, turning his dark eyes onto Kisame. "The clan is passionate. While they generally can put their emotions aside for a mission, they are outright unstoppable when one of their own is threatened. And, if I am correct, Kiba's standing in his clan means they would stop at nothing until he has been returned safely to the village." Itachi informed Kisame, unknowingly giving the man even more reason to believe that Itachi was too invested with the boy. "The Hokage would not endanger the retrieval mission by placing one of them on the team."

This made the blue skinned man nod and smirk, "They'll be put in a tough position for tracking us, then."

"Don't underestimate Konoha's forces, Kisame." Itachi warned, "There are more Shinobi capable of tracking us. Yes, the Inuzuka clan would have been their best bet, but that does not mean they do not have a chance of catching our trail."

"Yeah, but they're still a ways away, Uchiha." Kisame breathed out, crossing his arms over his chest once more as he thought about how easy it would be to leave now and never be caught by the Leaf Shinobi. "We'll be long gone by the time they even catch a whiff of our scent."

"It has been two days since Kiba got Akamaru back. Three since we found him and took him in." Itachi breathed out as his eyes narrowed, "We have spent too much time lounging around. If we do not want our trail to be caught so easily, we have to move."

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd just left the boy alone..." Kisame muttered to himself, then shook his head and spoke up once more, "Then we're going to have to carry the kid to move him. We can't stay here if we don't want any trackers to find us so easily. And his body still hasn't healed enough to sustain him, much less be able to carry him through the tree lines."

In all honesty, Kisame had no problems with Kiba as a person. Now that he had the pup around him, Kiba proved to be a rather happy kid that loved to laugh. Well, that's what he had been able to see from the times when Kiba was not aware of being seen by him. And when Kisame's presence was known, the kid was respectful and kept his distance. He had barely even bothered the shark nin.

If it weren't for Itachi's impulse and illogical need to have the boy as a tracker, Kisame would have just left Kiba alone without even a threat. But they were struck together because Itachi decided that he wanted to keep him... Well, at least Kiba seemed as confused about the whole situation as Kisame was. It seemed as if Itachi was the only one of the three that seemed to have any idea as to what was actually happening, what deeper meanings there were behind doing some of the things they had, and he was in no rush to explain anything.

"I know..." Itachi breathed out as he crossed his arms and pushed off from the wall they had both been leaning against.

Kisame could tell the situation was getting to the younger man. He was tired and his face seemed to be caught in a perpetual frown, which was different from the indifferent scowl he adopted on normal days.

The slight changes in the Uchiha were so minute that those that had not spent almost all of the past year with him would not have caught them. Then again, Kisame _had_ spent most of the past year with him. So he knew that there was something different about him.

"We shall eat lunch and dinner here. Then, once night falls, we will move Kiba. We have spent enough time lounging in this town."

After having given his orders, Itachi walked away from Kisame, undoubtedly moving to the hotel to speak with the boy of the hour himself.

Kisame smirked at the thought of the usually emotionless Uchiha actually caring for someone- a mutt, much less!- but shook his head and amusement and began to walk towards the inner workings of the town, knowing full well that it would be his job to fetch lunch for all of them.

~/~

"I know they don't smell like allies, Akamaru, but they're not too bad."

The young pup was not convinced by Kiba's try at reassuring him. He could smell out the level of anyone's chakra, and those men out there... Their chakra was well above jonin level. Not only that, but he could also sniff out their scent. And he had come to know that when someone's scent was permeated with death and blood, it usually meant said someone was not a person Kiba should be messing with.

Akamaru had been extremely worried for his master the past week. When he had accepted Kiba's order to ensure the merchant's return to her home, he had tried to reject the order and stay with the boy. But Kiba had growled at him and forced the pup to take the woman away, which meant that Akamaru had been forced to abandon his master in the heat of battle, lowering his chances of survival.

The pup had been taken in by the merchant once he had gotten her to her home. She was a kind woman that understood the sacrifice the genin team had undertaken to get her home and had felt the least she could do was help Akamaru heal his injuries a bit. But she had made it clear to the dog that she had had no idea of the group of rogues that had attacked them. If she had, she would have put it in the mission report and spent the money on the B or A rank the mission would have received.

But the woman was a merchant. A traveling one at that. And to make a living she had to leave her home with her wares to the nearby villages to sell. Which was why Akamaru found himself wandering the small town on the day he had been reunited with Kiba. It was a lucky coincidence, really, but Akamaru was just happy to know that his master had not died.

The two days after reuniting were spent with Kiba telling Akamaru everything that had happened to him and how he had ended up escaping the camp. Hearing about how those men had used and abused his Inuzuka master had made the pup's blood boil and his annoyance with himself for leaving the boy behind only grew, but Kiba had made sure to drill into Akamaru that if the pup had stayed behind, the mission would have never been completed and an innocent civilian would have gotten hurt.

Now the pup lay beside the boy's injured body, curled up against his side, resting on the side that faced the door.

He was not going to let _anyone_ harm Kiba. Especially not those death-smelling ninjas that Kiba had apparently decided to join.

Akamaru knew his master. So he knew that the human would never willingly leave his teammates behind. So this cover story of staying with Bitch Face and Dumb Shark- as Akamaru had lovingly dubbed them- because he wanted to repay them for their kindness did not fool the smart pup. There was something else to this companionship. The dog just did not know fully what had been said and done.

With three barks and a soft growl, Akamaru told Kiba that his nose must be failing him. Or, worse yet, he was ignoring his instincts.

Kiba rolled his eyes at the dog but still patted him on the head, "My nose still works, you dumb mutt." The boy muttered with a heavy sigh, which made Akamaru immediately know that his master was trying- and failing- to hide his worry.

But, before the animal could call the boy out on trying to keep Akamaru from knowing the truth, the door to the hotel room opened and Bitch Face stepped in with that dumb, indifferent look on his face.

Akamaru did not like Bitch Face. There were hidden intentions in that body. And he did _not_ like hidden intentions.

"Kiba." The tall male called, immediately catching Kiba's attention.

That was another reason why Akamaru did not enjoy Bitch Face's company. It was as if Kiba were his pet. Always waiting for him to speak and give permission. This Kiba's behavior was nothing like that one Akamaru had gotten accustomed to. He was used to a loud and impatient Kiba that always got what he wanted. But after those men had done those horrible things... He acted like a lap dog.

"We will be leaving tonight." The older male informed the young boy and a growl began to rumble in Akamaru's chest.

Kiba could barely walk! There was no way he'd be going anywhere tonight!

Bitch Face's eyes glanced over Akamaru's slowly tensing up form and seemed to know exactly what the pup was thinking of, "You will not be walking. I shall carry you. But we are already behind schedule and cannot wait for you to recuperate any more."

Carrying the boy was somehow supposed to make Akamaru feel better? Oh, if Bitch Face just got a bit closer, the pup would have bitten him.

"Okay."

Unfortunately for Kiba, the boy _was_ close to the annoyed pup. So the dog bit his shoulder hard enough to cause discomfort, but not enough to break skin. The bite made Kiba jump and look at Akamaru with wide eyes, all the while the pup growled at him.

"Don't do that, Akamaru!" Kiba scolded, which made Akamaru bark back and tell him he was being a fool. "That's it, mutt, time out for you! Go on!" Kiba growled as he pointed at a corner of the room.

Akamaru looked in the direction he was pointing at and growled a few choice curses under his breath, all the while walking to the corner.

On a normal day, if Akamaru had bitten Kiba, the boy would have talked to him and explained why he had made the decision that annoyed Akamaru so much. But now he had just punished the dog.

There was something wrong with Kiba. And Akamaru had no idea how to help.


	12. Tension

Akamaru's actions had hit Kiba hard. Itachi could tell from the way the boy would glance over in the pup's direction every now and then with wide and almost apologetic brown eyes.

When he had been younger and had yet to betray his village, Itachi had learned about the various clans aside from his own that called Konoha home. The one that had always intrigued him the most had been the Inuzuka Clan. Sure, the Uchiha Clan itself had a vivacious history that intrigued most, but Itachi had never felt a tug to really research it. The tug he had felt happened to be in the direction of the dog lovers, so he had learned as much as he could from his Academy mate, Hana Inuzuka.

Thinking back on the young girl that had studied her Clan's techniques with Itachi's help, the male couldn't help but wonder how her life might have turned out. Undoubtedly, she was already a jonin. The girl, even in youth, had always been amazing at chakra control. And the way that she used three dogs in her fighting had always amazed a younger Itachi.

Of course, no one had known that the Uchiha had learned so much about the Inuzuka Clans history. If they had, many would have argued that the Inuzukas and Uchihas were trying to unite and gang up against the other clans of Konoha. It would have been a blatant lie and almost impossible to actually do, but Itachi could understand people wanting to believe the two clans uniting being a terrible thing for the rest.

From his time learning about the Inuzukas alongside Hana, he had learned about the way the clan's relationship with their nin dogs worked. It was something much deeper than what his own father had told him. Most thought that an Inuzuka's dog partner was just another ninja weapon that was used during battle and taken care of to keep in fighting standards. But not many knew about the ways in which nin dogs were much more than just weapons or mere partners.

Nin dogs were family to their Inuzka partner. Not only that, but they were family to the whole clan. Once a dog was accepted by any Inuzuka training to become a ninja, the rest of the clan accepted them. It was a large pack system that not many could begin to understand, and Itachi had actually been amazed by the intricacies within such a simple looking clan.

An Inuzuka's dog would barely ever argue with their master. They were loyal animals that were always synchronized with their partner's thoughts, which was why the nin dogs tended to act much like their owners. For a one of these dogs to openly argue with their master meant that there was something wrong within the master's mind. For a dog's mind was simple and loyal. It was the human half that usually caused conflict within an Inuzuka/nin dog partnership.

Kisame had brought lunch some twenty minutes after Akamaru had been condemned to the corner. But when Kiba called for the animal to come and eat some food- because Kisame had even bought under-cooked steak thinking of the dog- he had only kept his ears flat against his skull and eyes shut tightly.

The dog had actually ignored his master's call.

Itachi couldn't help but feel horrible when he saw Kiba's distraught face. Without a doubt, he had caused the strain in their relationship by asking Kiba to be their tracker. And he felt unbelievably guilty when Kiba tried to smile at him and Kisame and joke about Akamaru just being grumpy because he didn't have the dog's favorite chew toy on him.

After they had all eaten their lunch, Itachi had stood up and grabbed the steak, then dropped it right beside the dog without any explanation to the people around him. Kisame, especially, had shown his surprise, while Kiba had been shocked to see Itachi actually try and do something for the pup. But the male had not said a thing after he had allowed the meat to fall, then stalked out of the hotel room.

He had never been good at showing his emotions. Sasuke had always been the one in charge of showing the spectrum of feelings in their home. Itachi had always taken a less passionate stance because he just never felt like showing how he was feeling at all times.

Now he found himself inexplicably drawn to this Inuzuka and had no idea how to actually show how he happened to feel.

There was no logical explanation for it. The boy wasn't anything amazing. His skills seemed to be just above average and Itachi had yet to see anything more than a weak and sniveling child. There was literally nothing about him that should have made Itachi feel the way he did.

But, that was just it. He was feeling things for the kid even though there was no reason for it. And he wanted to protect and comfort Kiba any second he could, no matter how odd it may seem to Kisame. And it was this very need to protect Kiba that made Itachi remain so aloof to the boy.

Kiba had recently been raped by more than a dozen men. His body and mind were both broken.

Before Itachi could even think about offering him any of the feelings he felt deep inside, the Uchiha would have to piece the boy back together. And, remembering how strong and proud the Inuzuka Clan was, he'd known that the only real way to help Kiba progress would be to treat him as if nothing had happened. He'd felt beyond disgusted with himself when Kiba had fallen to his knees after trying to walk, but he could also see some of the Inuzuka spark return to the kid's eyes.

Even with how disapproving Kisame was of his tactics, Itachi knew how an Inuzuka dealt with hardship and pain. They overcame it. And Kiba didn't need to be coddled, no matter how much Itachi wished he would. Kiba needed to be treated like a strong soldier. And that was the way Itachi would treat him... Until he had made sense of the situation. He'd stop as soon as he was both able to understand his feelings and Kiba was fine again.

~/~

Kiba found that he didn't hate Kisame's company.

The blue skinned man was crass and rude. But he was also caring and made sure that Kiba took a pair of pain killers every six hours as instructed by the instructions given to him by the small town's healer. The man didn't try to hide his amusement with Kiba's struggles to sit up, but he also offered the boy a hand whenever he deemed it was really needed.

Actually, the man kind of reminded Kiba of Kankuro. Both had their own rough yet caring personalities that pushed people they didn't like away, but drew people they did like in.

Slowly in the past few days, Kiba had found himself garnering some comfort from the man's odd personality. After having been abused for days on end by brutes, Kiba would have gladly taken in however much comfort he could.

Back when he had still been stuck with those bastards, Kiba had thought that he would never see anything good again. His thoughts all revolved around ensuring his teammates' survival, but never his own. He had not made any selfish decision while he was still stuck with them. Even though- and this disgusted the boy to no end- he _had_ allowed himself to think thoughts that he deemed selfish and unjustified.

His teammates had done all they could. Kiba should have been _stronger._

"It'll be dinner time soon."

Kiba looked up from his bandaged hands, only to see Kisame looking out the room's window, arms crossed and gaze on the outside.

The boy nodded softly in agreement, but said nothing as he looked back down at his bandaged hands.

He had been doing this a lot in the past days. The injured Inuzuka had just taken to staring at his overly injured body, always deep in thought and barely ever conversing with whoever happened to be with him at the moment. Akamaru had been the only one to actually get a full conversation out of him, but that had been before any negative feelings had entered the small animal.

Kiba knew that he hadn't been honest with his best friend. And he was more than aware that Akamaru knew that there were holes in the story he had been given. But the boy couldn't bring himself to tell him the truth just yet... Just how would Akamaru react to know that Kiba was now caught in a life debt? How angry would the pup get at his master for not being strong enough?

Releasing a puff of air, Kiba shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. Sometimes, he truly hated silence. His thoughts were always roaring in his mind. There was always something running around in his head, and it was barely ever nice or comforting. Kiba's thoughts were never kind. Not anymore.

He had thought that with Akamaru with him, his thoughts would calm down and give him a reprieve because he'd at least have his best friend with him. But, if anything, all those negative thoughts seemed to only get louder.

And Akamaru had bitten him...

Slow yet heavy footsteps caught Kiba's attention and pulled him away from his thoughts.

Kisame walked towards him with a stoic expression, then he leaned down so Kiba could look him straight in the eyes.

Kisame had smelled the most of death. And he had been- in Kiba's view- the scariest of the two in the beginning. But the more time he spent in their company, the more Kiba came to know that just because they smelled like villains, it didn't mean they were wholly bad people. They had, after all, saved Kiba and his friends. How bad could someone that helped genin out of a tight spot truly be?

"Listen, Kiba." The blue skinned man breathed out, then his eyes shifted away from Kiba, as if faltering a little, before continuing. "Don't take Itachi's silence personally, yeah?"

Kiba quirked an eyebrow at this because he had never actually taken his silence as anything bad, but allowed the older male to continue speaking.

"He's just a bit weird like that. But, believe me when I say this, he cares for you. And for that mutt over there." Kisame motioned with his head at Akamaru, who had eaten all of the meat off the steak Itachi had dropped beside him and was looking at Kisame and Kiba's interaction with narrowed eyes, "Heaven knows why anyone would care for that animal," He sneered slightly in Akamaru's reaction, but Kiba couldn't really hear any malice or venom in his voice, "But he cares. He wouldn't do anything like this for just anybody."

Kiba's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

So Itachi wasn't the kid to help any helpless kid he came across? Even as illogical as the whole situation was, Kiba felt himself grow happy at the idea of actually mattering to Itachi.

He could have gone two different ways for an answer to Kisame. The boy could have either thanked the man for the reassurance and dropped back into silence... Or he could try and get a bit of his old self back. And his old self would never have denied himself the chance to make fun of a person he knew wouldn't mind it.

"Not even for you, Kisame?" He asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he kept his eyes on Kisame's own.

The reaction was well worth the try. Kisame's eyes widened in slight shock, then they narrowed and the fish man shook his head while crossing his arms. "Knew you were a brat..." He muttered under his breath, but Kiba could tell it was all in good fun.

The smile that tugged at his lips became just a bit more persistent and he could see the small smile Kisame sent back his way.

Both males stayed quiet after that, just relishing in the fact that they had actually managed to joke around together, then Kisame turned around and took one step forward.

"I'm going to go out and pay the room." Kisame explained as he began to walk away from Kiba, then pointed at Akamaru, "Keep him from destroying anything."

Akamaru growled threateningly at the shark man, but he was gone before the dog could really do anything to him. Once the door had shut behind Kisame's back, Kiba turned to look at Akamaru and his soft smile faded.

"Akamaru..." He tried, only to have the dog snort at him. "Please, boy... Don't do this to me."

He was begging. Akamaru had _never_ seen him beg before. Not even when he had been faced with certain death when facing Sakon and Ukon had the Inuzuka resorted to begging.

But he was now. Because he missed his best friend.

Akamaru's ears perked up and he turned to look at Kiba with widened eyes, even though he didn't move.

"Please don't shut me out, boy..." Kiba breathed out, chest constricting as tears began to prick at his eyes.

Here he was crying again! He _hated_ crying!

But his emotions were running rampant now... It was as if crying was the only real way to get rid of some of the pent up anger and pain. He couldn't get rid of it training like he normally would, after all... Maybe he wouldn't be crying so much if he were able to train away all of his emotions until he was too tired to feel anything...

He knew he had lied to Akamaru. He knew it hadn't been right. But was he supposed to do? Tell him _everything_? Tell him about how the rape and torture had been much worse than what Akamaru thought? Tell the dog about how he had struck up a deal with what could very well be criminals to leave the Hidden Leaf and become trackers?

He had lied to all of his friends now. He hadn't been able to say goodbye to his family or the other friends he had left behind in the village for the mission of theirs.

He would _never_ be forgiven for how weak he had been.

"I... I _know_ you don't trust them, Akamaru..." Kiba sighed out, closing his eyes tightly to fight back the tears. "But you _have_ to trust me. These guys _aren't_ going to hurt me. They're _good_. And they're going to _help me_."

One stray tear fell down Kiba's cheek and suddenly, before he could really make sense of what was happening, something wet and slick lapped the tear up. Kiba's eyes widened at the sudden touch, then looked down to find Akamaru standing up on his hind legs, front legs out to try and balance himself, all the while his snout was against Kiba's face. He had licked Kiba's tear away.

One of the things he had always loved about dogs was the fact that you didn't need to have drawn out conversations with them to come to a consensus. And it didn't take lengthy explanations to get them to understand how you were feelings. They could tell how one felt with barely a look upon them. And Akamaru and his souls seemed to be intertwined, and had seemed to be that way since their first meeting.

Without any more words exchanged between them, Kiba knew that Akamaru would believe him. Akamaru would follow him wherever he went with those two cloaked men. And he would never leave him again. Even though Akamaru still wanted to know the truth, he wouldn't push Kiba for it. Instead, he would wait for Kiba to willingly tell him. And he would listen without any prejudice when Kiba finally decided to tell him because he was Kiba's loyal companion and best friend.

All of this Kiba knew without having to be told.

He loved Akamaru.

~/~

By the time Itachi had come back with the dinner's food, it seemed that the air of tension that had been in the room previously had dissipated almost completely. Akamaru was back at Kiba's side, although he still glared at Itachi and Kisame. But Kiba and Kisame were speaking softly, small smiles on their faces.

For some reason, Itachi felt jealousy tug at his heart. And he found himself wondering just why he felt that way because he knew that there was no way in the world that Kisame would ever want Kiba in the way Itachi wanted him. Of course, the other man didn't know how Itachi wanted Kiba, but... If there was anything the shark man was, it was a decent partner. He would never try to do anything that would harm Itachi in anyway, if not out of respect, but out of not wanting to get injured.

When he gave Kiba his food this time around, Itachi was pleased to see Akamaru jump up with tail wagging to grab at his steak. And when Kiba offered it to the animal, he took it without any hesitation, making Kiba chuckle softly at his eagerness to eat.

That chuckle warmed Itachi's cold chest almost uncomfortably.

The small group ate in companionable silence and Itachi wondered just what had transpired in his time gone to have changed the mood so drastically. Then, once everyone had finished eating, both he and Kisame stood up and began to pick everything up for their trip.

Once everything had been packed, Itachi turned to Kiba. The boy had sat up on the bed and now had his dog laying comfortably atop his head. In secret, Itachi allowed himself to think of how adorable the two looked together.

"Are you ready?" Itachi asked as he walked towards Kiba, lowering slightly to slide his hands beneath the boy's body.

To his dismay, the boy flinched away from the touch for a second. But with a tense frown on his face, it seemed that Kiba willed his body to calm enough for Itachi to grab steady hold of him. Akamaru jumped onto his master's stomach, only to be wrapped up in his arms immediately.

He was still battling with the demons that came from being raped, undoubtedly.

"I am." Kiba nodded, then found himself cradled against Itachi's strong chest once more.

"If you get cold at any point, tell me." Itachi instructed, then nodded at Kisame.

The large man walked out of the room with a nod of his own, followed by Itachi. When they were both outside of the hotel, both men took easily to the trees and began to run, both fully aware of where they were to go now.

A good ten minutes after they had left the small town behind, Kiba's nose proved to be what the fabled Inuzuka nose promised to be.

"I smell... Three scents after us... And four dogs, I think."

Kisame stopped abruptly upon hearing this, alarmed.

"How long have you known they've been chasing us?" He growled as Itachi stopped beside him, eyes narrowed at the boy.

Kiba's eyes widened at Kisame's mood, but shook his head and looked at Akamaru, "A few miles back. But I thought I was going crazy. I'm just getting my long range sense of smell back, you know. And they _are_ keeping their distance."

That was when Akamaru barked and Kiba frowned. Itachi quirked an eyebrow at his change in demeanor, but asked nothing. He knew Kiba would eventually explain himself. That was just the kind of person the Inuzuka was.

"At least they _were_ keeping their distance..." Kiba murmured, only to have Akamaru bark three times and growl. Kiba growled back at the pup and bit out, "Don't you remember those face snatchers? They had _our_ scents too! How can you be so sure these guys aren't from the same clan?"

Admittedly, hearing about 'face snatchers' confused Itachi a bit. And from the look Kisame gave him, it had confused the shark nin as well. But Itachi was no fool. There were, if Kiba was correct, three Shinobi after them. If they had been sent after Kiba knowing about Itachi and Kisame- and he knew that was most probably the outcome because genin had no reason to lie about him and his partner- they must have been jonin. And they had tracking dogs with them.

Could he have been wrong in thinking that they would not send Inuzukas after this child? From what he knew of the Clan, he had been sure they wouldn't endanger the mission by sending passionate dog nins after them.

Maybe this Hokage was more foolish than he thought.

"Can you smell their chakra levels?" Kisame asked Kiba, who nodded.

"Yeah, Akamaru can. And they're all jonin level."

Of course. If they had sent anyone weaker after the Akatsuki partners, the Leaf would have been down three more ninjas.

"Itachi... You got us into this." Kisame growled, which made the mentioned male sigh heavily.

Kisame had always been one for theatrics.

"Come on." Was all he said before he gripped Kiba a bit tighter and jumped down from the tree branch they had stood on.

When he had hit the floor, Itachi placed Kiba softly on the ground. Kisame landed beside him a few seconds later, accompanied by a questioning aura.

"Kiba, do you know these scents?" Itachi asked the genin, who seemed to falter for a second before nodding.

"Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Sensei." He answered almost meekly, then said, "They all lead squads back in the Hidden Leaf. Kurenai Sensei is my squad's teacher."

This was when Itachi remembered that Kiba basically knew nothing of who he and Kisame were. He didn't know the past battles they had been in and he didn't know what foes they had allowed to live.

For some reason, this made the man's stomach churn slightly. Maybe it had something to do with the face that the woman was Kurenai _Sensei_ to Kiba.

"Alright." He said after a beat of silence, then placed his hand softly on Kiba's head, "You will stay here. You are in no place to be in battle and I don't want you getting in the way." On the inside, he added, _Because I don't want you to get injured any further._ But in reality he did not add that and instead straightened up to take off his cloak. "Stay. Put."

His voice was a bit harsher than it needed to be, but Itachi didn't want Kiba anywhere near what was soon going to be a battlefield. He didn't want him to get hurt. The kid had already been through enough.

Throwing the cloak over the boy's body, he turned to Kisame and nodded.

The one good thing that came from having the same partner for more than a year was that they could read each other's actions and meanings almost perfectly. And Kisame was already taking his hat off by the time Itachi had finished wrapping his cloak over the boy, apparently knowing they would be caught in a fight with old foes.

"Let's go." Kisame smiled, then saluted at Kiba. "We'll see you in a few minutes, kid."

Itachi didn't say anything else before he jumped up to the tree branches and ran to meet with the oncoming group of jonin.


	13. Need to Protect

"They've stopped."

Kurenai felt a jolt of anticipation and worry run through her at the dog's words. The group they had been after had stopped. What could that mean?

The woman turned to look at Kakashi, who only quirked an eyebrow down at Pakkun, who's nose was in the air and sniffing to make sure he was correct. She stopped in her running as the rest of the group did as well, the rest of the ninken sniffing at the air.

"Akino, Bull, Bisuke, you agree with Pakkun?" Kakashi asked as looked down at the rest of his ninken, who all nodded.

"Yeah, boss." Akino nodded, sniffing at the air himself. "And it smells like they're coming back..." The dog muttered to himself, before turning to the only other member of the pack that could speak apart from Kakashi and himself. "Pakkun?"

The small dog nodded with a frown, "Two of them. The big guys. They left Kiba and the pup down on the forest floor."

Asuma and Kurenai shared looks of confusion while Kakashi hummed in thought, then heard the silver haired Jonin command, "Alright. Pakkun, take the rest of of the pack with you and get Kiba and Akamaru. Return to Konoha with them."

The four ninken looked up at the human with apprehension and worry crossing their features, but all knew to not argue with the man once an order was given. They all knew what their duty was and had been aware of having to follow Kakashi's words back when they had first signed their contract.

"Kakashi?" Kurenai asked, confused as to what was happening.

This tracking mission had gone rather smoothly, if she could be honest. Of course, she had never been part of a tracking before because her skills weren't really for that type of mission, so she didn't have much experience to talk about.

Although they had hit a small snag when they came across the campsite that had belonged to the rogues the Hokage told them about. At the beginning, Kakashi's ninken had been sniffing out only Kiba and Akamaru's chakra and scent trails. But when they came across the spot where the group of genin had been detained, so many different scents had gotten mixed together that the animals had needed a few minutes to regain their senses and sniff out the specific scent they needed.

As they had regained their control, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma had decided to look around the grounds for a little. It was just to see if there had been any rogues there and to see if there were any around that happened to be in the Bingo Books. But when they had walked towards the largest tent in the edges of the clearing, Kurenai couldn't help but feel disgusted at the sight of blood staining the ground and nearby objects.

Outside of the large tent, blood stained _everything_. The ground, nearby tents, pots, pans, any kind of trinket that might have been used by the men... There was blood spread throughout this whole area of the clearing.

Then she had spotted a body and knew immediately what had happened. The injuries sustained by this person could not have been made by any animal or human being. The jagged cuts... The mutilation of the body... The horrified wail the face had been left in...

Without a doubt, the two members of the Akatsuki met by her team had been here. And they had showed no mercy to these men.

Massacre. A merciless, brutal, and vicious massacre. That was what had taken place here not more than three days ago, if Kurenai's examination of the bodies was correct. The corpses were still rather fresh. And there still weren't too many scavenging animals eating at them. Which meant they had only recently been killed.

If they had been lesser people, she was sure she, Asuma, and Kakashi would have all lost the contents of their stomach at the mutilated bodies before them. But they were Shinobi of Konoha and experienced too many horrors. But Kakashi had stumbled upon a body that had been found a good mile away from the killing site and had found something that had disturbed him enough to usher his teammates away from it.

Kurenai was still curious as to what he had found on that body.

But after Kakashi had insisted that there was nothing new to see in that body, they had set off once more on Kiba's trail. And they were sure they were following the right trail because the ninken were able to distinguish three different scents, two which were permeated with death and blood. Itachi and Kisame.

With barely any stops to rest, the squad had been able to catch up to the group of three in a good three days. Then Pakkun had announced that Akamaru's scent had been added to them and Kurenai felt a wave of comfort wash over her. They were near her student and he had his dog again. Everything would be fine as soon as they defeated Itachi and Kisame. Which was no easy feat... But there was no way Kurenai would allow them to get away with what they had done to her student.

Now they found themselves so close to their targets that Kurenai could just feel Kiba in her arms once more and Kakashi was apparently formulating a plan with his pack.

"Alright, Asuma, Kurenai, here's what's going to happen." Kakashi clapped his hands in an almost theatrical way, which made both mentioned Jonin look at him expectantly. "We shall confront the Akatsuki members and keep them occupied all the while my ninken go ahead and grab Kiba. While they run with Kiba, we play as distraction to Itachi and Kisame. Then, once they're far enough away with the kid, we leave."

The plan was rather intelligent. But Kurenai couldn't help but want more.

"Wait, Kakashi, don't we want to grab these guys? They are of the Akatsuki, after all. By capturing them, we'd be able to learn more of their organization."

But the silver haired man only shook his head. "Our mission is to retrieve Kiba and return him to Konoha. Kurenai, we've already faced these guys before... It was a miracle to come out of that fight. And it'd be a miracle to come out of this one too."

The woman felt her body chill up at the usually laid back's man serious tone, then looked down at the branch she stood on and nodded. He was right. And this wasn't a mission of revenge. But if the opportunity presented itself to her... She _would not_ hesitate.

"Alright." Asuma nodded, hand balled up in front of him in a sign of determination. "Then let's go, Kakashi. The more time we spend standing around like idiots, the more these guys can plot against us."

Kakashi nodded at the man's words, then bent down to look at his four dogs in the eyes. "You know your mission. Be careful. Go."

Without further orders, the four dogs disappeared into the foliage of the forest, choosing to travel on the ground rather than branches to not get caught by the Akatsuki members. If they were lucky, neither Itachi nor Kisame had the tracking skills to be able to detect four ninken. Even though they could follow the strong chakra signatures emanated by humans, most probably they weren't trained to hone in on above average animals.

After a few seconds had passed, the three Jonin moved forward. And the further they went, the clearer Itachi and Kisame's chakra signatures became. Soon enough, the three found themselves in a small clearing, standing on the tree branches and waiting for the incoming villains.

When Itachi and Kisame appeared, Kurenai remembered the painful experience that was their first meeting. Neither men seemed to have changed. Itachi still bore an expressionless frown and Kisame still seemed to emanate sadism.

A moment of silence passed as each group sized the other up, then Kisame cleared his throat.

"Bit far from Konoha, aren't you? Are the little Konoha nin lost?"

The shark nin's smirk was almost malicious. Kurenai couldn't help but glare and feel her anger spike at that.

He better _not_ have harmed Kiba in _any_ manner if he wanted to keep those sharp teeth.

"Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha. I would say it's a pleasure to see you both again," Kakashi answered coolly, crossing his arms. "But that would be a lie."

Kisame chuckled humorlessly at his words, then smiled broadly, "Oh, you wound me, Copy Nin... Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, why don't we get down to business, yeah?"

Kurenai took a step forward then, eyes narrowed at both men, "Yes, why don't we? You have taken someone from our village. You know why we are here."

After she had said this, Kisame seemed to be ready to retort, but he stopped himself after he had opened his mouth. Kurenai was somewhat surprised to see the man _not_ yell back, then understood why. The blue skinned man had turned to look at Itachi and his face morphed from amused to irritated.

Because both groups were on opposite sides of the clearing, neither could hear the other if they opted to speak softly. So Itachi must have scolded Kisame in a softer tone of voice than usual because none of the Konoha Shinobi were able to hear what was said.

Then Kisame answered back with a frown, still maintaining a hushed tone, but soon shook his head and turned back to the squad that had followed them.

"You're not getting the kid if that's what you want." Kisame spoke up as he hefted up his large sword onto his shoulder, moving his left foot behind his body while shifting his weight onto it. "But you _will_ get a fight even if you don't." After having said this, the man pushed off his tree branch and launched himself at the Konoha group, followed swiftly by Itachi.

Both Kurenai and Asuma jumped away from the large sword attack aimed their way, all the while Kakashi jumped off to meet Itachi in the middle of his own jump. With a growl, Kurenai sent a punch flying towards the shark nin, only to have it caught by him.

The man smiled at Kurenai as he held the fist in his hand, then shook his head and asked her, "What's so big about the kid, anyway? You lose genin all the time, don't you."

With a growl of rage, Kurenai twisted her body to lash out at him with a kick and it connected with his body viciously. His grip on her hand loosened for a second and the woman tried to break free of the grip, but was horrified when the hand around her's suddenly tightened. Kisame's smile was gone and he was frowning at her now. And instead of taunting her, he only threw her body back and over his body, irritated at her having hit him so solidly.

The woman was sent flying through the air without much sense of control, but luckily found Asuma's strong body cushioning her descent. When he set her down, the man looked her over to make sure she was okay. Then, once he seemed content with what he found, he dropped into a fighting stance beside the woman, prompting her to do the same.

"Think he's angry?" Kurenai asked softly as they saw the shark nin rip off his Akatsuki cloak and pick up his blade savagely.

"Only a little bit." Asuma answered back, fingers tightening around his trench knives as he prepared for Kisame's next attack.

"We can do this." Kurenai nodded to herself, eyes following Kisame's every move. "For Kiba."

* * *

Kiba had thought that he would only have to give small lies to Akamaru to not have to explain the deal he had made with Itachi and Kisame. But now that they had both caught the scent of the Shinobi sent after them, he knew he would have to lie further.

If there was one thing an Inuzuka was, it was loyal. With that loyalty came a strong sense of duty and honor. And Kiba had learned from a young age that no matter how little he enjoyed a deal, if he made one, he would have to follow it through until the end.

This meant that no matter how much he longed to return to Konoha with his mentor and the two other Jonin, he could not follow those wishes. He had made a deal with Itachi and he wasn't about to break his word. Maybe a lesser ninja might have ran away the moment salvation could be found but... The Inuzukas were proud to a fault. Even though he knew there was nothing more that he wanted, he _could not_ break the deal with Itachi.

So now he would have to lie more to Akamaru. Because the dog would undoubtedly be confused as to why his master would not want to return to Konoha with his teacher.

Fortunately for Kiba, they had come across those face stealing ninja a couple of months ago with Naruto and Hinata. He might be able to spin those people into a convincing enough story for Akamaru. If the pup asked why he didn't willingly go with his teacher, Kiba would just tell him that he couldn't trust his nose, not after the face snatchers had fooled them so easily.

The young boy was taken out of his thinking by a sharp bark from his small companion.

Akamaru was looking intently up at the boy, asking him just what they were doing and what they were supposed to do.

"I can't do much, Akamaru. No matter how much I wish I could, I can't really do much walking." Kiba explained softly, looking over his bandaged body once more. "We're going to sit here and wait for Itachi and Kisame to come back, I guess."

Even though Itachi and Kisame had gone rather far to meet with their pursuers, Kiba could hear the louder things happening in their meeting. The crash of a tree branch from- presumably- Kisame's blade signaled the beginning of the fight they had all known was coming. And Kiba couldn't help but feel his chest clench at the many outcomes that this meeting could have.

He could only hope that the men he was now bound to wouldn't hurt his teacher or her squad mates too horribly.

Akamaru growled and barked three times, asking him just why they weren't trying to help the ninja from Konoha out. And Kiba mentally braced himself for the lies that would tumble from his lips now.

"Because we don't know if they really _are_ from Konoha, boy. Don't you remember the face snatchers?" He asked the pup, hoping his voice sounded convincing enough to the animal. "These guys could be enemy ninja sent by an enemy village to kill us all. I mean, Itachi and Kisame did destroy a rather large mercenary operation. I wouldn't be surprised if there would be repercussions."

It was a far fetched idea. But it also made sense. And as long as there was an ounce of possibility of this being the truth, then Akamaru might be able to believe it.

From the dense foliage, Kiba was able to hear further crashes and what sounded like rushing water from the fighting grounds. And he honestly worried for both sides. Even though Itachi and Kisame both smelled like bad guys, they really had proved to not be. And he wished that none of the Konoha nin got injured because of him. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to take injuries on either side.

Both were fighting for him. He had made a fine mess of a C-Ranked mission.

Then, oddly enough, Kiba picked up what very well may be paws running. He found this a bit odd, then decided to sniff at the air to see if anyone was nearing him. The four nin dogs he had smelled with the party of three Jonin were coming right at him.

He had, apparently, not been the only one to notice this development because Akamaru soon questioned why the face snatchers would have dogs with them. Kiba sneered slightly at the dog, then shook his head and came up with yet another lie.

"Because they would need a way to track us, boy! Not many ninja are made for tracking scents and chakra like us. And these guys have been trained to be face snatchers! Not trackers! So, to get to their targets, they must have help from some tracking animal."

Akamaru was not convinced with the explanation. So Kiba questioned, "Have you ever smelled any of these scents before? Because I sure haven't! These dogs aren't from around our village!"

That seemed to make Akamaru actually think because the dog looked away from Kiba and towards the trees surrounding them. On the inside, Kiba breathed out a sigh of relief. But, on the outside, he maintained a neutral look on his face.

The truth was, he had _never_ smelled dogs like this before. These guys weren't from the Inuzuka Clan, definitely. But he _had_ heard from Naruto about Kakashi's pack and worried about what their coming could bring.

But Kiba couldn't move away to try and get away from the pack. They were coming right at him and he was a sitting duck. He couldn't dodge them.

Sitting in tense silence, Kiba waited for the arrival of the nin dogs. As he waited, he heard more fighting noises but tried to ignore them. He didn't want to thinking about the fight that was going on. He could already feel the guilt beginning to gnaw away at him once more.

The first dog to appear was small, had brown fur, and had a bandage around its front leg. Then came a behemoth of a gray dog that made Kiba wonder just how stealthy and lithe he could be. Finally, two more dogs appeared at the same time through the foliage that surrounded Kiba and he knew that the nin dogs that had helped track him were in front of him. One of the last two that appeared wore sunglasses, oddly enough.

To say he was shocked when one of them began to talk would be an understatement. The only dog he had ever heard speak before was his mother's large dog, Kuromaru. So he had thought that the ability of being able to speak was reserved for only highly trained ninken. Apparently, he had been wrong to have inferred this.

"Kiba Inuzuka. Akamaru. The name's Pakkun. We're Kakashi's pack." The small brown dog said in what Kiba could only describe as an old man's voice.

Kiba blinked at the animal. The shock that was going through him was... Well... It almost paralyzed him. This dog was talking. This _dog_ was _talking._.. Maybe he was going insane.

"Geez... What happened to you?" The small animal asked as stepped forward and closer to the Inuzuka, beginning to circle the young boy and look over his body. "You're more bandages than skin!"

Kiba flinched upon the dog's observation, mind immediately going back to the torture he had been put through by those men. They had hurt him... They had started all this... And their mark on his body would remain for the rest of his life. By the time his body had healed, he would be more scar tissue than normal skin. And this thought made Kiba frown and look down at the floor in disgust.

He was marked for life.

Akamaru barked and growled at the four ninken that had appeared, asking them what they wanted with them and why they had been hunted down, but the dog with sunglasses spoke up to stop Akamaru's questions.

"We need to get going, pup. Boss made his instructions very clear. And we need to get going as soon as possible to get you kids back to safety."

If he had been feeling better, Kiba would have bitten back at the 'kids' comment. But he was not feeling well. He was feeling horrible now that yet another part of his reality had come crashing down on him. He would _forever_ be scarred by the torture. It didn't matter if he somehow managed to persevere through the pain and heal... He would be marked by those scars until well after death.

"Bull, get over here. This kid isn't going anywhere on his own legs." Pakkun commanded the largest dog there, who came lumbering with a small nod.

Kiba's body was numb. He barely felt what was being done to get him on the large dog's body. He had blanked out for a bit, actually, thoughts of the scars he would sport after months of healing completely overtaking his mind.

He would _never_ grow past the pain... Not with those scars on him. He barely even heard Pakkun commenting on the odd cloak Kiba wore.

Soon enough, though, Kiba found himself traveling through the forest on the large dog's back... In the opposite direction that Itachi and Kisame had been taking him. As the sounds of the fighting grew clearer as they neared the spot of the forest where the adults were all fighting, Kiba began to really make sense of what was happening. Kisame and Itachi were fighting off _three_ Jonin to _protect him_.

A small voice in the back of his head was telling him that they weren't protecting him, but instead their interest in him as their tracker, but the boy paid little attention to it. These two ninja that smelled of death were actually putting their lives on the line to keep him safe. Itachi had even wrapped him up in his cloak to protect him from the cold in the forest. And Kiba was fleeing like a coward.

Suddenly, a sense of panic began to take over dog nin's chest and he somehow managed to move his body so he was sitting up on Bull's back. Then he heard a sharp yell come from a man and his body was moving of its own accord, worry overcoming pain.

Kiba took off running from the pack of dogs without a word of explanation, leaving all the animals surprised and shocked for a second before they too followed after him.

But Kiba didn't care about them chasing him. He had heard someone yell. He had heard someone yell out in pain. Someone had gotten hurt. Because of _him._

With his thoughts in a panicked frenzy, Kiba somehow managed to run all the way to where the five ninja were fighting, and he looked on at his worst fear as soon as he looked at the clearing.

Kisame was being held tightly by Asuma, the Jonin's arm wrapped around his neck while the other held onto Kisame's left arm, which was twisted up behind his back, the shark nin's sword on the floor a few feet away from them. His teacher was holding a kunai to the blue skinned man's ribs, eyes narrowed and threatening him to try and move even an inch.

Kiba's eyes widened at the sight and before he could really think of what he was doing, the boy was flying across the clearing with a sharp shout of "NO!"

~/~

Both Jonin turned to see Kiba flying their way at insane speeds and were shocked at his frenzied state. The boy's eyes were wide and terrified, his canines were somehow sharper, and his whole body was wrapped up in bandages.

"Kiba!" Kurenai gasped at the sight of her student, the grip on her weapon faltering for one second.

She was shocked to see him in such a condition. The woman had not expected to see him looking like... There were no words to describe his state.

Unfortunately, Kisame took her moment of distraction to kick at her chest and force her backwards, all the while he tore his way out of Asuma's hold. His left arm was broken, but his right still worked well enough to lash out at Asuma's face and make him stagger back. With both Jonin temporarily incapacitated, Kisame looked in the direction Kiba came from and growled.

"Dumb kid! Can't you follow orders?!" Kurenai heard the man hiss dangerously, running up to her student to grab him roughly by the collar of Itachi's cloak. "You were supposed to stay _put_."

But Kiba didn't seem able to answer. He could only shake his head softly, eyes wide and mouth opening and closing without any sound coming out. Kurenai, even with the breath having been kicked away from her, still was able to see that terrified face and she felt her blood boil.

"Kiba!" She called once more, eyes wide at the sight of Kisame manhandling her student. "Stay away from him! Go back to Kakashi's pack!" She commanded, but the boy's eyes were blank.

It was as if he hadn't heard her.

Asuma frowned at the boy's state as he straightened up, then turned a glare at Kisame, "What kind of monster kidnaps genin?"

~/~

He had known the fight would not be easy from the beginning. Both these Jonin had given him a bit of complication the first time they had fought, and now they had extra determination to win so they would be able to regain Kiba. But Kisame had not expected these two to get the upper hand like they had. And that Asuma bastard even broke his left arm.

Luckily for him, a wild Kiba appeared out of nowhere and distracted the two long enough for him to break out of their hold. Unluckily for him, though, a wild Kiba had appeared. Which meant he would have to protect the kid and make sure he wasn't taken if he didn't want to end up skinned by Itachi. Immediately the man had run towards the boy and grabbed him roughly, questioning his appearance.

But the boy had said nothing. He seemed only capable of staring.

Kisame had felt a pang of worry hit him at how odd he was acting, then pushed Kiba back and shook his head. "Stay behind me." Was all he told the boy before he turned to his enemies, eyes narrowing as they both straightened up at the same time.

At the other man's growled question, Kisame only feigned a cool air around him and waved slightly, "The same monster that doesn't mind killing a couple idiots here and there."

Over the course of the fighting, Kisame had used a lot of his chakra. Luckily though, he still had enough left for about two more desperate attacks. And from all of the other attacks he had used, there was a large enough concentration of water around him to be able to use.

Kisame struck once more, using his Rain Shark Water Wave to try and distract both opposing ninja, all the while staying close to the frazzled Kiba. He knew that Itachi would murder him if he allowed the kid to fall back into Konoha's hands and wasn't too eager to find out what the male would do if he found out Kisame had _not_ tried to keep him safe during the battle.

As expected, the two Shinobi fought off the projectiles and ended up creating more sharks. As they shouted out in surprise at the smaller water sharks attacking, Kisame backed up so his back was flush against Kiba and began to push him backwards, all the while keeping his eyes on his struggling enemies.

The boy's feet followed without much thought and Kisame breathed out internally, although on the outside he kept a stern frown on his enemies. If he could just get Kiba back into the dense foliage... Then maybe Itachi wouldn't get too pissed off with him.

Unfortunately for him, the Kunoichi seemed to be able to both deflect his attacks and stare at Kiba at the same time.

"Kiba!" The woman yelled, eyes growing wide as she saw the Akatsuki member pushing the boy back and away from the two Shinobi that were trying to get him back.

The shout seemed to snap Kiba out of whatever stupor he was in and Kisame growled when he seemed to regain control of his own body.

The boy stopped moving back and instead stepped to the side, eyes wide to look at his mentor. "Kurenai Sensei!" He shouted out, and Kisame found himself worrying about the chance of the boy deciding to run to safety then. He wouldn't be able to fend off both Jonin while also trying to keep Kiba in place.

A moment of silence passed in which nothing happened and no one moved. Then Kiba lowered his head and looked away from the woman, which made Kisame wonder just what was going on inside that kid's head at the moment.

"I... I'm sorry, Kurenai Sensei." He told her, making the woman's wide eyes narrow and her frown deepen. "I'm _so_ sorry."

"What? Kiba, I don't-"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Kisame had never been happier to hear Itachi's arrival.

A searing ball of fire sailed across the clearing and would have hit both Asuma and Kurenai if they had moved just a second later. All three fighters and Kiba turned in the direction were the attack had come from, only to find Itachi holding onto Kakashi's jacket collar, holding him up with a glare on his face.

"It seems one of your teammates has been critically injured." He stated coldly as he threw the body from his spot standing on a tree, prompting Asuma to jump to catch Kakashi before he hit the ground. "Leave now if you value his life."

Asuma hissed at the dark haired man while Kurenai could not take her eyes off her student. Kiba seemed so... _Broken_.

"Kisame. Kiba. Let's go."

Itachi dropped down from his perch on the tree to stand beside both mentioned males, red eyes boring into Kisame's own. From this, Kisame knew the younger was not happy with what had occurred with Kisame around.

Without needing to be prompted further, Kisame picked Kiba up with his good arm and threw him over his shoulder, then ran into the foliage. As he did this, he secretly hoped Itachi wouldn't be too pissed off with him. And as Itachi turned to follow after him, he heard the Kunoichi shout, "Don't take him! Please!"

A chill ran down even Kisame's spine when Itachi cruelly answered, "You have no say in this matter."


	14. Moving On

Kiba had not spoken since he had tried to explain himself to his sensei. And Kisame was beginning to worry that he had finished breaking.

He was no fool to the boy's pain or struggles. He had been there, after all, from the beginning of the whole venture. He was not blinded to the fact that Kiba had been raped mercilessly by countless men before either her or Itachi had appeared to save him and his team. And he knew very well just what kind of fracture torture like that could cause in anybody's mind.

Truth be told, he had been surprised to see that Kiba took so well to him and Itachi. Then he just attributed that to attachment born from seeing them as saviors.

Still, the kid seemed to be getting better. Even though he flinched when Itachi had gone to grab him to leave the small town, he had not shown any discomfort while Kisame helped him sit up. While around both Akatsuki members, Kiba had shown more progression than regression.

Until now.

Kiba's silence was disturbing Kisame as they ran from branch to branch. The boy was still slung over his shoulder like some bag, but Kisame didn't think Itachi was relaxed enough at the moment to be carrying the dog nin. Kisame knew this from the way that Itachi had yet to offer to carry him to take off some of the weight Kisame was burdened to carry.

With a frown, Kisame noted how he had yet to see Akamaru. Hadn't the pup been with Kiba when they left him on the forest floor?

Although he had many questions and worries floating up in his head, Kisame knew he would not receive many answers. Kiba was as still as the dead and didn't seem about to begin to speak just because Kisame wished for it. And Itachi, no matter how much his partner would love to know just how he was able to decimate the Copy Nin the way he had, would not give many explanations.

He hated the tense silence that had fallen over the group. But he hated the fact that he didn't know exactly how to make it lessen even more.

One certain step on a branch made his left arm jolt as it met uncomfortably against bark and Kisame growled and hissed at the pain. He would have to set the bone sooner rather than later.

The shark nin sighed at that thought, beginning to dread having to set it and find a way to keep his arm set until they were able to return to the Akatsuki headquarters. There weren't many more villages to find at this point, seeing how they so loved to make trekking to their base of operations a living hell for all members... Even though there was a strategic advantage to being so difficult to get to.

Much to Kisame's surprise, Itachi was the first to break the silence that had fallen over them.

"Kisame, set Kiba down."

Stopping after he had landed safely on a sturdy branch, the Traitor of the Mist turned around to face Itachi, eyes wide.

"You don't want to continue until we get-" He was going to ask, but was interrupted by Itachi glaring at him.

"Just put him down, Kisame. And fix your arm." Itachi's voice was cold, detached, and Kisame immediately knew he was hiding something.

He had been around the young Uchiha enough to know his moods and what each one meant. And when Itachi became uncharacteristically cruel, it meant he knew something dangerous and possibly heart wrenching that he wanted to keep hidden. Personally, Kisame had never had this mood directed at him. But he knew how the younger acted around his brother. It was a type of defense mechanism for Itachi.

Wisely deciding to just follow the man's orders and not question him, Kisame carefully placed Kiba on the branch he stood on, steadying the boy when he seemed to sway at having to use his own feet. Once he was sure Kiba wasn't about to fall off the branch, the shark nin turned to Itachi and asked, "You sure you want to wait for me to set my arm?"

Coolly, Itachi looked at Kisame without any emotions in his black eyes, "You are of no use in a fight with an unset, broken arm. Besides, we are going to have to wait for Akamaru to come back to Kiba before we move off."

There was Itachi's caring side rearing its' unusual head once more. If it had been for any other person, Itachi would not have given a single shit about their pets or friends. Yet he now wanted to wait for the pup to come back?

"Do you think he'd even want to come back?" Kisame asked softly, slowly feeling the adrenaline begin to leave his body and leave him tired.

... He was getting too old for this shit.

"Kiba?" Itachi turned to the boy now, looking down at him and making Kiba look up at him. "Is Akamaru on his way?"

The boy's face twisted from one of barely any emotions to one of confusion and worry, then he began to frantically sniff at the air around him. The way he moved his body and head to try and find his friend's scent was odd and caught Kisame a bit off guard, but Itachi didn't even seem the slightest bit taken aback.

After about a minute of sniffing, Kiba breathed out heavily and nodded softly, "Yeah... I can smell him and he's getting closer... But there aren't any more dogs with him."

"That is to be expected."

"What?" Both Kiba and Kisame chorused, both taken aback by Itachi's too collected façade.

Itachi spared them both one glance before he turned his back to them, "I had Kakashi cancel the summon on his pack. They were returned to wherever he keeps them and cannot cause us any problem until he has been healed."

He should have known. That was why Itachi had insisted on taking Kakashi on alone. To get information out of the man and use it against him and his team.

Kisame wasn't sure if he should feel slightly comforted at the fact that at least the Copy Nin wouldn't be following them again, or if he should be worried that Itachi had gone to such great lengths to keep Kiba.

Still, with a shake of his head and a slight frown, Kisame announced, "I'm going to set my arm down on the ground. Come get me when the pup comes back."

Then he jumped down to the forest floor, not waiting for any kind of response from any of the younger males.

* * *

Talking to Tsume Inuzuka was like talking to a rabid wolf on steroids, Tsunade mused as the mentioned woman stood in front of her desk with a rather terrifying glare. If Tsunade had been a lesser being, she would have wilted away under that intense glare minutes ago. _But_ , she was the Hokage to the Village Hidden in the Leaves and was _not_ some weak being that would wilt.

"What do you mean you want to send me off on an S-Rank?" Tsume's tone of voice was harsh and vicious, which reminded the blonde woman of Kiba's own, just more aged and less refined.

Yeah, to think the Clan Head was less refined than Kiba Inuzuka was quite the thought, but also made sense. Even though the Inuzuka were a rowdy group, Tsume was quite the disciplinarian that did not allow her kids to think they were permitted to insult anyone they saw fit. She had ingrained respect in her children as early as they could understand the different between right and wrong.

"I mean your tracking skills are very much needed to catch this missing nin, Tsume." Tsunade answered with her own eyes narrowed, her own tone low but not vicious.

Tsume scoffed in exasperation at Tsunade's even voice, then shook her head, "First you tell me my son's stuck in the Land of Kami knows where and that you _don't_ want me to get involved on the search team, _then_ you tell me you want to send me off?" She growled, teeth baring and sharp canines glinting dangerously, "You dare tell me that I am to go away when my pup could be _injured_?"

Tsunade had to lean back slightly as she swore Tsume began to foam at the mouth, but still kept her steady composure about her.

She had given Tsume half the truth about her child and what had happened on the mission. Instead of giving her the whole version, like she had with the three jonin she had sent on the retrieval mission, Tsunade had kept the less desirable bits to herself. Which meant that Tsume had no idea of the torture her son had been subjected to, how dangerous the people that had saved him truly were, and how she had sent Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma after the Akatsuki members to retrieve the dog nin.

Even though she had never been one to enjoy keeping the truth from others, Tsunade knew the benefits and dangers of telling Tsume exactly everything that had happened.

Benefit: An enraged Inuzuka mom would stop at nothing to get back the pup that had been taken from her, all the while the rest of her clan would do everything possible to ensure the safe return of the child.

Danger: An enraged Tsume and impassioned clan. The Inuzuka were the most passionate clan that had ever graced Konoha, and, at times, this was a huge leg up on other villages. But at this moment in time, while dealing with the lethal Akatsuki organization and other equally pressing matters, Tsunade could not fund a mission of vengeance for the clan. Because knowing them, they would want to not just go after Kisame and Itachi, but after the rest of the Akatsuki.

Yet, no matter how much Tsunade truly wanted to find out what the Akatsuki's malevolent plans truly were, she could not allow a reckless mission such as the one the Inuzukas would undoubtedly ask for.

So, instead of giving the full story, the Hokage gave Tsume a condensed and censored version of what had happened and then told her Kiba was being healed by the Konoha sympathizers that had stopped the group of rogues from causing too much harm, then twisted the truth and told the other woman that she would send a small team with two medical ninjas to go and get Kiba, then bring him back to the village so he could be properly treated.

Sometimes, she truly hated politics and lying. But she couldn't allow the truth of what had happened to get out. Not when Tsume Inuzuka would undoubtedly try and get Kiba back in a reckless and dangerous manner.

It wasn't that she didn't believe in Tsume's skills- she had to have skills to be the only female Clan Head in all of Konoha while also being one of its best jonin's- but she knew the Inuzuka too well. And, at this moment, a clear head trumped an impassioned attack.

"Your pup is fine, Tsume. Shino and Hinata both attested that the travelers that found them were more than happy to help them out and heal their injuries. Kiba's were just a bit too much for long distance travel, so he stayed behind and sent his teammates back. As soon as I am able to spare two of my best medical ninjas, I shall send them to get Kiba and bring him back." She explained as levelly as she could, hoping to stay calm even with an enraged Tsume seething in her office. "But _your_ mission is a thousand times more crucial for village protection and- even with how cruel this sounds- is more important than your son."

If Tsunade hadn't been Hokage, she was completely sure Tsume would have ripped her throat out for having ever said something so cold about her youngest. But the woman respected position and instead punched the wall behind her, then barked out, "Fine! I'll play along and go on this mission!" After this, though, the woman turned around and glared directly at Tsunade, eyes wild and feral, "But heed this warning, Lady Tsunade, if Kiba is not back and safe by the time I return, your position of Hokage will mean _nothing_ to me."

After the chilling threat, the woman briskly turned around, "Kuromaru, let's go!" She growled at the large dog that had sat quietly in the corner of the room for most of the meeting, then stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind her as soon as she was out.

Once the enraged woman had left, Tsunade released a heavy breath she had held in, then shook her head and allowed it to fall into her hands. "I don't get paid enough to do this..."

That meeting had taken place two nights prior, on the night of the day Shino and Hinata had come back from their failed mission. And Tsunade could still remember Tsume's enraged threat and feared for the well being of the village.

She had yet to receive word from the jonin team sent after the two Akatsuki members. And if Tsume's own mission went according to plan, she would be returning in two weeks and expecting her son to be back and safe.

While Tsunade wanted to have complete faith in the team sent after Itachi and Kisame, she would also have to begin to prepare plans to ensure Tsume not finding out about her son's kidnapped status. Fooling an Inuzuka was not simple because of their impeccable sense of smell. But... If she used the services of her old friend, then maybe she could hold up the illusion that Kiba was in the village.

She'd just have to send Tsume on all kinds of lengthy missions until they were able to get the boy back.

Speaking about people that could be affected by the boy's absence, Tsunade noticed that she had not taken care of one of the biggest problems she could have by not warning Shino and Hinata against speaking about what had happened.

"Shizune!" She called wildly, getting up from her office chair with a burst of energy.

"Yes, my lady?" Shizune appeared in her office breathless a couple of seconds later, wide eyed and worried.

"Go and get me Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga! And make sure they have not told _anyone_ about their failed mission."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade." The dark haired woman nodded, then left immediately, knowing very well to follow the Hokage's instructions and not question them when she actually showed interest.

* * *

"S-Shino kun?"

"Yes, Hinata?"

Instead of answering immediately, the young girl hesitated over what to say and looked down at the floor. Shino sighed softly at her still very clear abashment but only shook his head and allowed the girl the space she needed to piece everything she wanted to say together.

"Do... Do you think Kiba kun will be fine?"

Quirking an eyebrow at the girl, Shino couldn't help but begin to question it himself. Even though he wanted to believe that the Hokage was not keeping anything from them, he couldn't help but feel that there was more to the two that had saved them than Lady Tsunade let on.

But Shino couldn't voice his concerns to Hinata, not with her being as fragile as she was. Even though he knew that his teammate could show astounding amounts of mental strength during moments of stress, he was not sure how she would take hearing about his own doubts. Besides, she was still shaken up about the fact that Kiba had willingly allowed men to rape him just to keep her and Shino safe.

How could he make her start feeling as worried as he was after everything they had gone through?

No, Kiba had given his body to keep him and Hinata safe. He wasn't about to let his commrade's sacrifice be in vain just because he had a small hunch.

"Of course he will be, Hinata." Shino told her simply, then looked around the training grounds they currently stood in and sighed. "Come on. Training is pretty useless without Kiba and Akamaru egging us on. Would you like to go to Ichiraku's?"

Hinata seemed perplexed at Shino actually saying so much, but still nodded and ran after the already walking Shino. As they made their way through the village, Hinata kept pretty close to Shino, but he did not mind. For the past days, they had grown closer in the protective brother/protected sister sense. Without Kiba there to shout at anyone that tried to bother Hinata, Shino had found himself stepping up to keep her safe.

And Hinata herself had shown some growth by insisting they try and go train, even though Kiba wasn't there. It hadn't felt right and Shino knew he had done less than he should, but Hinata had pushed herself and had been left panting, tired, but with a small smile on her face.

When they reached the small restaurant, they found that Team 10 was already eating there. Shino began to hesitate, wondering if he was truly ready to face any of the other rookies, but before he could ask Hinata if she would like to go somewhere else, Ino spotted them and waved them over.

"Hinata! Shino! How are you two?" The bubbly blonde asked as both quiet teens shuffled over, taking their seats to the blonde's right while the ones on her left were already occupied by Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Hello, Ino." Shino greeted calmly, "Shikamaru. Chouji."

Both males grunted their own form of greetings while Hinata merely waved at them in hello. After that, the group of five fell into a comfortable silence until Shino and Hinata ordered their own meals, then Ino noticed there was something missing.

"Oh, hey guys, where're Kiba and Akamaru? We barely ever see you two without them lurking somewhere." The blonde asked innocently, unknowingly making both members of Team 8 freeze and tense up.

Shino had no idea how to answer the question. He had no idea how to take the situation. Should he tell them the truth? Should he lie? The Hokage had not told them if they should or should not lie when met with any of the other rookies, so he was not sure how to answer.

"W-we met with a s-small complication on our m-mission. Kiba kun was f-forced to stay back." Hinata responded quietly, which made the attention of the three members of Team Asuma turn to her. "B-but Lady Tsunade told us e-everything would be f-f-fine."

"What kind of complication?" Ino asked curiously, blue eyes wide and lacking any form of malice.

She was honestly curious about what had happened to their teammate. Complications on genin teams weren't all that easy to run across, but they still happened. Usually, though, complications on missions didn't mean that one of the teammates didn't come back to the village.

When neither of Team 8's members answered, Chouji pressed, "Come on, guys! I'm sure it can't be all the serious, it's Kiba and Akamaru, after all! Did they just get into a fight because of Kiba's big mouth?" He asked with a broad smile, completely missing how Shino's eyebrows narrowed at him.

"No, Chouji." Shino spoke tensely, feeling the guilt inside of him begin to stir once more.

More than three days had passed since they had left Kiba. More than three days had passed since Shino and Hinata had burst into the Hokage's office. And more than three days had passed since Shino had allowed himself a moment of weakness. But, even as he tried to get back to his usual routine, the bug nin could feel the edges of guilt and anger creeping up on him.

"Kiba did _not_ endanger the mission, Chouji kun." Hinata spoke up after Shino kept his silence, secretly eyeing her teammate to make sure he was fine.

And she seemed about ready to say more, but just then Shizune, the Hokage's right hand woman, ran up to the restaurant's opening and breathed out at the sight of the genin before her.

"Shino, Hinata, am I glad to see you two!" The dark haired woman smiled at them both, then shook her head and sobered up. "I need you both to come with me to the Hokage Tower. It is of utmost urgency."

Both genin turned to one another, exchanging quirked eyebrows, all the while Team 10 began to wonder just what could be so important that Shino and Hinata had to meet directly with the Hokage.

"B-but our d-d-dinner..." Hinata almost complained, but Shizune only smiled softly at her.

"You can ask for it to go, Hinata." The woman said calmly, then looked up at Teuchi with a soft smile in place. "Would you mind wrapping those up, please?"

"Not at all, Shizune san." The older man answered in good spirits, beginning to wrap up the food ordered by Shino and Hinata. Once he had finished up, he handed them over with a good natured, "Here you go." Then went back to cooking other customers food.

"You see, not much to it." Shizune told the genin, then motioned for them to follow. "Now come on, Lady Tsunade _really_ needs to speak to you as soon as possible."

Sharing one more look, Shino and Hinata followed after Shizune without saying anything else, all the while leaving three confused friends behind.


	15. Questions Unanswered

Thinking hurt. Moving hurt. Heck, staying still hurt.

It sucked, but it seemed as if anything Kiba did, or didn't do, just brought him pain.

He was screwed. Terribly, horribly, _royally screwed._

Why had Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai Sensei all been sent to retrieve him?

Kurenai Sensei he could understand. She was his teacher, after all, and it would make sense for the village to send her to ensure his safety. But it would have made sense if they sent her, they also sent along two chunins. Heck, sending another jonin- while maybe a bit exaggerated- would still have made some sense. But it didn't make sense that aside from her, they sent _two more_ jonins.

Without a doubt, he knew that his teammates were safe. And for a second after noticing this, Kiba had been allowed to breathe easy and forget about how screwed up his life had become because _at least_ _Shino and Hinata were safe._ Through his sacrifice and pain, he had ensured their safe return to the village. Which meant that not all of his pain had been in vain.

But soon after taking note of this, the other heavier, more foreboding thoughts pressed down on him once more.

In his mind, he was desperately trying to fit puzzle pieces together, even though none of them seemed to go where he tried to place them. Nothing was making sense to him.

First of all, who were Kisame and Itachi?

To have three capable and powerful jonin sent to retrieve him, Kiba could only infer that they were rather dangerous and capable ninja themselves. But... There were so many questions about just _who_ they were.

Why did they wear those odd- albeit rather comfy, Kiba had to concede- cloaks? What did the clouds on them symbolize? Because it must have meant something for _both_ of them to wear the same design. And why did they have gashes running across their villages symbol? Were they traitors? Deserters? Had they left their respective villages out of spite or because they had been betrayed?

Back when they were younger, Hana had told Kiba he imagined too many things up. That he looked for the dog's seventh leg, even though said dog only had four. And, as he had grown, he had begun to see why Hana had said that. He thought up of too many different possibilities for just one problem. When he decided to think about said problem, of course. Usually he would have chosen to jump in headfirst without a second thought.

His introspective moods barely ever hit him.

Normally, the boy would jump around in pure happiness and throw himself at a fight with nothing but pure instinct.

Yet, every once in a while, he would find himself pondering about life, his decisions, and the decisions of those around him. These moods barely ever hit him, but ever since he had been tortured by those damned bastards, he found himself thinking more and more often.

He wasn't completely sure if he enjoyed the change he was undergoing, but he knew with complete certainty why it was happening.

He despised those monsters.

"Kiba."

Blinking, the boy looked up at Itachi, surprised to hear him actually speak.

Until now, he had been able to gather a bit of information about both men he found himself around now. Kisame, albeit crude and a bit crass, had a soft spot about him and seemed to enjoy joking around with Kiba, during the small moments Kiba allowed himself to actually let loose. Itachi, on the other hand, was cold, somewhat detached, and kept his distance. But even with all of those oddities, he had proved to care about Kiba, at least a little bit, from the way he insisted on giving the boy his coat whenever it got too cold.

"Don't think too much about what has happened." Itachi advised, keeping his gaze on the horizon rather than look down at the boy he spoke to. "Kisame and I are your allies now. The Hidden Leaf Village and all of its ninjas are _not_."

The harshness of the man's voice caught Kiba a bit off guard, but the words themselves made his chest clench. He began to feel colder and unconsciously brought the cloak closer to his body.

"You must understand that your Hokage has a bad habit of overreacting when it comes to missing nin such as ourselves." The man continued with his explanation, keeping a borderline cold tone as he did this, "Your teammates undoubtedly told her about who saved them and gave a description as to who Kisame and I could be. And because of our standing as runaway ninja, she undoubtedly decided to try and cash in on the bounties on our heads."

Everything that Itachi was saying, he said with the utmost conviction in his voice... Wait. Not conviction. Not really. But the long haired male never faltered in what he said, never showed any hesitation. Which made Kiba feel he was completely sure in what he was saying.

But further questions arose in the boy's head.

So these two were runaway ninja? And the hokage knew of their status as this?

Thinking on this, Kiba guessed that Lady Tsunade knowing about Itachi might make some sense. He did, after all, sport the Hidden Leaf headband, even though it did have a gash running across it. But how did she know about Kisame?

"Now that you are to be our tracker, you shall be tested in ways you will not even able to comprehend until well after you have gone through them." The man continued speaking, but now he spared Kiba one glance.

His dark eyes were as cold as his tone, but Kiba swore he could see a flash of something warm before it disappeared in an instant.

"Do not expect anyone to coddle you. You shall be treated just like the rest of our organization is treated, you shall not be some exception. Do not expect anyone to comfort you the way you would have been comforted back in your home. No one here is invested in fixing a broken child. You shall have to fix yourself as best you can while juggling your responsibilities."

To anyone else, those words might have been discouraging. To some other genin, hearing such cold promises might have made them begin to feel there was a reason to break down or feel like there was no way out of an undoubtedly crappy situation. To any lesser Shinobi, being told they'd be treated with what might be borderline apathy... It might have made them regret ever agreeing to a deal like the one Kiba had made.

Then again, Kiba was not a normal genin. Already he had been through more hell than any other genin he had ever met in his life and he was still alive and had fire in his eyes.

That fire might have been almost extinguished on more than one occasion, but he was kindling it now, trying to regain it.

Being faced with the jonin from his village had been a step back and he was aware of it. But Itachi didn't seem to care. And Kiba couldn't have been any more grateful.

To be treated like everyone else is exactly what Kiba needed. He didn't need to be treated like some broken creature, no matter how truly broken he was. He needed to be allowed to strengthen himself on his own and regain his Inuzuka pride.

And even though he was leaps and bounds away from being the person he had once been, Kiba knew that with Itachi treating him like another person he'd be able to achieve his goals eventually.

Yet, even with that glimmer of hope burning deep in his mind, Kiba's mind brought back the image of Kurenai Sensei looking at him with such shock and sadness in her eyes that he felt his resolve falter slightly.

Instead of answering verbally, the boy nodded stiffly and looked away from Itachi.

He could smell Akamaru's scent and it was getting nearer with each second that passed.

He wasn't completely sure how to tackle the lies he had told the pup just yet... So he decided to mull a bit about what he could and should tell the dog before he allowed any other thoughts to interrupt him.

~/~

Akamaru had turned up a few minutes after Kisame had finished setting a make-shift sling for his broken left arm and only about one minute after Itachi and Kiba had finished their one-way conversation. When the pup had appeared, he found all three males lounging about the branches of a rather sturdy tree, all silent and neither facing the other.

The appearance of his dog had made Kiba perk up slightly, but not too much. Not enough for someone as attached to the pup as the Inuzuka was. And Itachi could see the indecision and fear clouding the boy's eyes and found himself wishing to dispel any dark thoughts from the boy's mind.

Yet no matter how much he wished to help, he would have to bide his time. The Inuzuka were proud and durable. And he'd be there for Kiba to support him when the time came. It just wasn't the time yet.

There weren't many words shared between master and pup once the dog caught up to them and Itachi could tell that Kiba was deep in thought. But instead of commenting on it, the dark haired male had only turned his back on them to see if they would share any words. Unfortunately, Kiba only said, "Hey, boy. Are you ready to travel?" and the dog had barked back in answer. Nothing more. And Itachi wasn't sure if he should have been relieved at the shortness of the conversation or frustrated.

During his fight with Kakashi, all Itachi had been thinking about was keeping Kiba at his side. This was the first time in his life he ever allowed his selfish compulsions to take complete control of him, and he wasn't about to let some nosy jonin get in his way just because they wanted to return him to his rightful village. Even though the logical part of him told him that he should just allow the boy to go back to his home, the emotional and more dominant part of him insisted that he should keep Kiba around, that he deserved the happiness that would come from having him around.

After he had incapacitated the Copy Nin with his Sharingan, Itachi had commanded the man to call his pack back and leave Kiba alone. And even though the man had called the dogs back, he had expressly stated that Kiba would return to Konoha, even if Itachi didn't like it. The statement had made Itachi almost give in to his rage, but he had stopped himself short of killing the man.

Kiba was to be his now. And he was not to be taken away by those that did not understand.

Once he was back with Kisame and Kiba, he had grown worried at the boy's silence. He had not said a single thing since they had pulled him away from the woman he called Kurenai Sensei and Itachi began to worry about Kiba wanting to leave him. Then he decided to tell the boy about what was to happen to him now that he was to be a part of their team. And he'd felt like kicking himself over and over again the more he spoke and the more calloused he portrayed himself as.

He had sincerely expected Kiba to growl, fight, or even curse Itachi for thrusting him into what might have seemed to be a bleak future. Yet the boy had done none of those things. With a soft and fading smile, he had just nodded and accepted his fate.

Itachi's feelings had been torn at that reaction immediately and he found himself between feeling relieved for the boy accepting him and feeling terrified for the boy possibly hating him.

What if Kiba was regretting making the deal with him? What if he would ask to be released of the deal? What if he would hate Itachi for having made the deal in the first place?

He didn't think he'd be able to deal with the boy's hate directed at him, not now that he had allowed himself to grow so attached to him. Itachi had never felt this way before about any human being and was completely sure about what he should do. Yet, the one thing he knew he would never do was force himself on the genin. No matter how desperate or annoyed, he would never sink so low.

"Are you ready?"

Kisame's growled question broke through Itachi's thoughts, catching the Uchiha off guard as he shifted his eyes towards his partner. Even though on the inside he was flustered for having been so caught up in his mind, the long haired male didn't let it show in his face. Instead he looked passively at Kisame before he turned to Kiba and Akamaru and waited for him to answer.

The boy glanced from the pup sat before him to the two men a few feet away, then sighed and nodded. But instead of trying to get up from his spot, he only waited patiently for either of the men to lift him up and begin to carry him.

Without saying anything, Itachi made his way towards Kiba and tightened the cloak around the younger male. But if Kiba had found this odd, he showed no signs of any discomfort. Instead, he kept a stern frown on his face and Itachi began to miss his smile. Then, once he had deemed to cloak to be tight enough for the cold air to not bite at Kiba uncomfortably, Itachi pulled him into his arms and straightened up.

Akamaru had not jumped onto his master this time to be carried around. Instead, he stood looking at Itachi, as if waiting for a sign to proceed.

Taking this as the dog's sing of not wanting to be carried, the dark haired man simply nodded and jumped off the tree branch. Once more, they were on their way to the Akatsuki hideout. And if no other misfortunes came up, Itachi would be one step closer to keeping the Inuzuka with him for as long as he wanted.

* * *

"I bet you two are wondering just why I asked Shizune to bring you here."

Shino's face showed no signs of curiosity as he stared evenly at the blonde woman that sat before him and Hinata.

Once more both he and Hinata found themselves seated in front of the Hokage's desk in her office, but this time Shino had his emotions under control. Unlike when he had arrived from that failure of a mission, the bug nin now had been able to calm down and spend some time reflecting on what had happened and even managed to keep himself from jumping at the first chance to try and help Kiba.

Still, that didn't mean he didn't want to go on the search for Kiba. But he was at least in control of his feelings and annoyance enough to not do anything hasty that might bring about terrible consequences.

Yet. He wouldn't do anything hasty _yet_.

"Y-yes, Lady Tsunade." Hinata answered with a soft nod, her voice quiet and eyes staring intently at the woman.

The blonde woman's cool eyes went from looking Shino over to the girl, and a small frown found its way onto her face.

"Well, the situation with Kiba has begun to be handled." Tsunade began speaking, voice serious and firm. "I have already sent a team to seek him out and bring him back to the village safely. If your information was correct, then they should all be returning in a week or so."

Shino quirked an eyebrow at her use of words, beginning to wonder if the woman doubted the information they had brought her in the first place.

"Th-that's great, Hokage same!" Hinata smiled broadly, eyes glistening with happiness.

Shino too found his heart begin to swell at the prospect of his teammate's safe return to their village, but he couldn't ignore the small voice in the back of his head telling him that there was something off about the woman before him. Her frown was too tight, too serious, to be talking about such good news. What else was there bothering her?

But instead of showing any concern on his face, the bug nin kept his emotionless demeanor about him and simply nodded.

A moment of silence passed between all of them in which the blonde woman seemed to think on what she wanted to say next, and Shino could not help but wonder just what it could be.

Could the woman want to know more information about their botched mission? Could she maybe want to learn more about the group of men that had taken them to be able to combat their forces? What else could the Hokage possibly want out of him and Hinata?

"What I am about to ask of you may seem a bit odd," The woman began, shoulders squared and body language speaking of complete surety in herself and her words. "But I, as the Hokage of this village, need you to listen and not question me at all. It is a matter of village safety. And you as Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, have the responsibility to do as I say without trying to fight it."

Now these odd words made Shino quirk an eyebrow at the woman. Still, though, he said nothing and allowed the woman to continue.

"Kiba's..." The Hokage seemed to hesitate on her next word for a second, then she strained out, " _Position,"_ as if she weren't completely sure if this was the word she wanted to use. "Must not be divulged to _anyone_. His whereabouts will stay between you, myself, and the med team I sent to retrieve him."

Hinata blinked in confusion and surprise at the odd request, but Shino's gears were turning in his mind and he immediately thought up of a question.

"What about to his mother and sister? Shall we keep it a secret from them as well? Because that would not make any sense, Lady Tsunade." Shino began, gazing at the woman calmly, even though his mind was rushing with questions as to just why the woman would want to keep Kiba's position a secret. "If he is to come back to the village in a week or so, and he shall be healed, there is no reason to keep his family from-"

"Shino." The woman cut him off with an almost growled tone, managing to confuse the boy even more. "I have given you your orders. _No one_ is to know about what happened on your mission and where Kiba is at the moment. Is that understood?"

Both members of Team 8 shared confused glances at the woman's almost vicious tone, and Hinata turned with wide eyes. "But, Hokage same, why can we not-"

"Hinata, I have given you your orders. The information about your latest mission and where your teammate finds himself is to be kept between us _only_. No one else is to be told of this." The woman's eyes were narrowed as she spoke to Hinata in a commanding tone, then she sat up taller in her chair and glared at both genin. "Now, is that _understood_?" She repeated the question, even though this time with a tone of finality.

Shino immediately knew that there was no room to argue or question the woman anymore. And he began to worry about just why they would need to keep this a secret if everything was, in fact, going well.

"It is." Shino answered coldly while Hinata stumbled with her words.

Then the blonde woman nodded and motioned with her hand to the door.

"You are dismissed."

Shino was outside the door before Tsunade had even finished speaking.


	16. Hidden Worry

Four days had passed since Kiba had aided Kisame and Itachi in evading the Konoha jonin and he still felt conflicted over his decision.

Had he truly chosen a life with two missing nins he didn't fully know over returning to his home?

He had. All because of Inuzuka Pride. His sister had always told him he'd find himself in a troubling situation one day because of his pride and passion... He just didn't think she ever would have expected the situation he wound up in to be so confusing and possibly dangerous.

With a sigh, Kiba looked down at his bandaged fingers and began to curl them inwards.

Even though it still hurt to move, he was at least able to move his hands and feet with minimal discomfort now. His legs, arms, and torso were another story, but at least now he was able to feed himself with minimal aid from Itachi.

Itachi... The man was a bigger enigma than any other human being Kiba had ever come across. No other person in the world could instill so much confusion in him as Itachi did. One minute, the man was cold and distant. Yet, in the other, he was offering Kiba his cloak, or food, or to carry him, or something nice like that as if he actually cared!

Even though the distance was much appreciated, Kiba couldn't really make sense of the man.

Kisame was a thousand times easier to understand.

The shark nin was a grumpy individual. So he was short with both him and Itachi and didn't like to be told what to do. Simple.

Besides being confused by Itachi's subtle changes, the dog nin was also confused as to where they were going. If he was correct, they had already crossed the borders of Fire Country but where nowhere near Land of Water.

If they were leaving the land where Itachi came from but weren't going to Kisame's own home, just where were they going?

"Hey, are we getting any nearer to where we're going?" He allowed himself to voice his question as he looked up from his hand and at Kisame.

The shark nin sat across the fire they had made in the small clearing they now found themselves in. Kisame had opted to close his eyes for a while as he waited for Itachi and Akamaru to come back from gathering more firewood, all the while Kiba had taken to flexing his fingers and toes. They had fallen into a comfortable silence, only to be broken by Kiba's inquiry.

After he had asked this, Kiba had expected Kisame to either ignore him or shoot him a simple glare. The man had taken a colder approach recently when it came to being around the boy, and Kiba wasn't all too sure just why. But he still tried his best to keep from getting in the way. He just really wanted to know where he was being taken, though.

Kisame's dark eyes opened and the man sneered slightly, and Kiba expected him to just close his eyes once more and ignore him. But, instead, Kisame actually answered the question.

"To our base of operations, runt. Now shut up. I'm trying to get some shut eye before Itachi comes back and makes me do something other than make sure you don't run off."

After he had answered, Kisame closed his eyes once more and began to doze. Kiba was not too surprised by him- the man had become more callous in the past days and Kiba wasn't sure just what he had done to piss the man off- and sighed softly. The sun was beginning to set once more and night was falling around the foliage that surrounded him, and Kiba was beginning to feel slightly confined.

He couldn't move his legs or arms all that well yet, which meant he couldn't walk around like he would have liked. And being confined to moving to when only Itachi or Kisame wanted to move him... Well, his desperation was beginning to creep in once more, even though this time it wasn't fueled by rage or sadness. He was just starting to get extremely bored of not being able to do things by himself.

Sniffing at the air, Kiba was at least a bit comforted in knowing that Akamaru and Itachi were both on their way back.

One of the things he had been grateful for when it came to the whole 'not being able to do anything by himself' thing was that he had yet to speak one on one with Akamaru and explain to him why he had lied and what was truly happening. And he planned to keep himself from being alone with the pup until he had been able to create a decent enough cover story.

Shifting his body so he rested a bit more comfortably against the tree behind him, Kiba closed his eyes and continued flexing his fingers and toes.

With the silence that had surrounded him, he had been allowed to think a lot more. And he was going to take this chance to truly think up of an explanation for his dog. And to take advantage of the time, he would separate some time to come up with small theories as to just who Kisame and Itachi truly were.

Even with the small amount of trust they had managed to build up, Kiba was still rather hesitant to ask them about who they really were. After all, if they hadn't told him anything yet, they most probably wanted to keep it a secret... Right? And even though he was curious as to just who these two missing nin were- especially if they wanted him to believe they weren't bad guys- he still didn't have enough confidence in himself and their relationship to voice his questions.

* * *

About three nights later, Kiba found himself laying comfortably in Itachi's arms once more as both cloaked men stopped running for a moment.

"What's going on?" He asked as he looked up at them both, wondering just why they had stopped running.

"Kiba, I have to ask you to close your eyes." Itachi answered immediately, looking down and right at Kiba's eyes. "The location of our hideout must remain a secret and you must know the exact way to arrive. Akamaru, that goes for you too."

Kiba blinked up at the dark haired male carrying him for a second, then looked down and nodded. "Alright." He muttered softly and closed his eyes, even though he found it completely odd that they would go to such lengths to keep the location of their hideout so secret.

He knew they were missing nins and all... But they couldn't be so evil that everything they did needed to remain a secret so they wouldn't get capture, right? They couldn't be evil at all! Not with everything they had done for Kiba.

While he kept his eyes closed, Kiba began to doze. Itachi's scent surrounded him and enveloped him in a warm embrace that promised nothing but comfort and, soon enough, Kiba found himself asleep because of just how comforting the scent was.

His dreams were peaceful and calm, filled with nothing but alluring scents and beautiful scenery.

~/~

"He's asleep."

Kisame looked up from the sword perched on his lap when Itachi spoke up, "You sure?"

"I am." Itachi responded without any emotions as the red drained out of his eyes, all the while Kiba slumped into his arms. "It isn't too difficult to lull Kiba into peaceful slumber anymore. It was only a bit troublesome the first few tries."

Nodding at the other's observation, the shark nin got up from his spot on the floor and stretched his body, all the while looking over Kiba's still bandaged body. The kid was now able to walk a few feet before succumbing to the pain, so he knew it was only a matter of time before the kid was able to fulfill his duty as their tracker.

"Are you sure he won't ever find out about you using your sharingan on him?" Kisame asked, internally worried about the kid finding out about them tricking him into being able to sleep well.

They had been travelling for three days and were just a few meters away from the Akatsuki hideout.

But from what Itachi had explained, Kiba's perception of time had been thrown completely and he thought that more than a week had passed since they fought the jonin from Konoha.

When Itachi had first brought up this idea to Kisame, the shark nin had been completely against it. The mind was a powerful thing, sure, but he didn't think Kiba's was in any state to deal with an Uchiha messing with it. And Akamaru had barked up a storm of rebellion at the very idea of putting his master under artificial therapy.

Then Itachi had explained the benefits that would come out of making Kiba believe more time had passed. First of all, he'd believe his body had gotten much stronger than it actually had and would push himself to heal faster than normal. Then Kiba would actually be allowed a peaceful night's sleep that wasn't plagued by nightmares of the men that had raped him. And, finally, the location of their hideout would not be jeopardized because the kid wouldn't know the route.

The last point applied more to Kisame than Akamaru, but the dog agreed with the first two things. All he wanted was to get his smiling master back. And if Itachi could make him better, then he would trust the odd man.

It was kind of annoying dragging an unconscious Inuzuka throughout the forest... But Kisame would be lying if he said he hadn't seen any improvement in the kid.

The kid was walking again. Something that would have taken _weeks_ if Kiba was allowed to heal on his own. Yet Itachi, with his odd mental therapy, had gotten the kid into believing he was stronger than he was in reality and gotten him to walk way before he would have on his own.

The boy was unconscious for most of the route. But he was allowed about ten hours a day to be awake, walk around, eat, and take care of his hygiene. These hours were separated into intervals of three or four hours at a time so that their travelling wasn't _too_ affected by the stops.

Actually, they had just spent the past three hours with an awake Kiba and had just recently put him under sleep.

"He won't." Itachi muttered as he picked Kiba up as gently and softly as Kisame had ever seen him do anything in his life, then said, "My jutsu is perfect. Now let's get going. We're only a few hours away from our hideout. And I am sure our leader is already more than annoyed with us for our delay."

Kisame nodded and followed after Itachi, knowing very well that the younger man was right to say that about their leader. Falling into silence as they ran, Kisame couldn't help but glance down at the boy in Itachi's hands.

He hadn't been the kindest person to him... But it was all Itachi's fault. If only he had been left in his home... If only Itachi hadn't dragged him into things that would undoubtedly only bring him pain in the future... With a sigh, Kisame looked away and forward at where they were going. At least Itachi wasn't making him look like too big a jerk in the therapy... Hopefully.

* * *

When Kiba next awoke, he was still surrounded by Itachi's scent. But he wasn't cocooned in the man's arms. Instead he found himself laying down on a sofa with the man's cloak wrapped tightly around him.

Blinking softly in surprise, the boy took in his new surroundings and was surprised to find that he was not in the forest anymore. He had grown rather accustomed to waking up on the cold floor or a sturdy branch. Now that he was actually resting on a couch... Well, he found the not-too-soft-yet-much-more-comfortable-than-the-floor padding beneath him more than amazing after all that he had gone through.

"Itachi's dog seems to have woken up."

Kiba was surprised to hear a voice that belonged to neither Kisame or Itachi after having spent so much time with them both, and looked around the room to try and find the source of the soft yet mocking voice.

"Leave him alone." A new voice spoke up, this one almost as monotonous and devoid of feelings as Itachi's own, but much hoarser and deeper.

"Why? You're a puppet. You don't care about anyone." The first voice took on a mocking tone now, which made Kiba really begin to wonder just who he was stuck around.

"I don't. But I don't think it would be wise to begin to bother someone that Itachi brought in... Unless, of course, you wish to revisit the hell he put you through last time you decided to show him the pitiful excuse you call art." The second voice had taken on slight amusement at what he had said and Kiba found himself trying to make sense of what was being said.

First of all, what did the first voice mean by 'you're a puppet'? That couldn't meant what Kiba thought... This person couldn't be arguing with a puppet. Wouldn't that mean he was just fighting with himself? No, that didn't make any sense, now did it?

"You shouldn't speak about art!"

"You shouldn't speak. At all."

And the argument they had been having devolved into trading insults. This confused Kiba greatly. These people knew Itachi... But they seemed so... Immature. It didn't make any sense for these to be associates of Itachi and Kisame. Not if they truly were this petty.

Kiba decided to take advantage of the two voices being too occupied yelling at one another to notice him to actually look around where he now found himself. The room was large, furnished with only a few sofas here and there, and plain. There was nothing more to it than the sofas. The walls were a sandy brown color and seemed rather grainy. There were two large hall openings that led outside the room, and there was a closed door some feet away from were Kiba lay, but nothing more aside from that. The only source of lighting were a few torches strategically placed around the room.

"He's rather young, don't you think?"

Perking up at what he guessed was an observation about him, the Inuzuka turned to look behind him to find one man staring down at him. Actually, really looking at him, Kiba wasn't too sure if he was actually a man... He was rather feminine looking. But from the tone of his voice, which was much deeper than a normal woman's, he had to guess that he really was male.

The man had long blonde hair that covered half of his face, and peeking out from the mane one could see a headband, a gash running over the village symbol, much like Itachi and Kisame's own headbands. His one visible eye was a dark blue and gazed curiously down at Kiba, all the while his lips were pursed in concentration.

"I already warned you against messing with the kid. If you continue with this course of action, I'll have you know I will not stop Itachi from doing anything to you." Kiba heard the other man in the room growl out as a final warning before he heard footsteps walking away, meaning that he had been left alone with the blonde man.

For a second, the man turned to wherever the other man had been and shot a glare in that direction. But then he turned back to Kiba and smiled widely, a smile that didn't ease the boy in any manner.

"So... What's so interesting about you? You look like just another runt to me." The man looked Kiba's body over as he said this, his eye narrowing slightly as he did so. "Just what could be so special about you that would have Itachi carry you in here in _his_ cloak?"

The questions weren't wholly directed at the dog nin. He could tell from the way the man's voice seemed to hold deeper meaning within it. But Kiba wasn't about to answer those questions, so instead he remained quiet. And he wasn't going to try and sit up just yet, not with the odd man being so close to him. Even though he could move bit by bit without too much pain now, he knew it would still be a struggle to get up. And he wasn't about to show off his weakness to a complete stranger, even if he _did_ seem to know Itachi.

After a beat of silence passed, the man seemed to come to the conclusion that Kiba wasn't about to start speaking and scoffed.

"Should have known... A hardass would be interested in another hardass, no matter how young." The man muttered to himself as he moved from the back of the couch to stand before Kiba, "You're not being a very polite guest."

Kiba glared at the condescending smile sent his way, but his lips remained shut.

For a moment, he thought about how, if this had happened before he had been kidnapped by that group of mercenaries, he would have yelled back in defiance. If he had been thrust into a situation like this before, he would not have hesitated to answer with quips and bites of his own.

He had matured in a very small span of time. In only a few weeks he had gone from a brash loudmouth to a genin that actually thought about danger before jumping head first.

"And you, Deidara, are not being a very polite host."

Kiba perked up as soon as he heard Itachi's soft timbre from one of the hallways that led outside the large room, and he craned his neck to see the man.

Itachi walked in with a new coat around him and a nonchalant look about him, even as his red eyes fell onto Deidara. The air around him spoke of calm and being relaxed, but for some reason, Kiba believed he could see annoyance deep inside those odd eyes of his. Kiba found himself fascinated by the way they changed color whenever he deemed it necessary... But he had seen more of Itachi with black eyes than red.

Kisame followed after his partner and he had a sleeping Akamaru in his hands, making Kiba perk up and begin to wonder just what the three had gotten up to. But he still didn't try to move, seeing how Deidara still stood in front of him.

"Oh, Itachi. I see your talk with the leader has ended." Deidara commented with a forced smile, turning his body to face the two other males that were walking into the room. "Did it go well?"

"That is none of your concern." Kisame growled with a glare at Deidara, his own body tense and speaking of contained anger. "Now scram. Or I'll make you regret ever joining our organization."

Deidara's eye narrowed at the threat that swam with nothing but hate, yet he shook his head and turned away from them all. Without any other word, he walked to the back of the room and left through one of the exits there, all the while Itachi and Kisame finished walking up to Kiba.

For a moment, no one said a thing. Itachi was busy looking over Kiba's body, Kiba was deep in thought about... Well, about everything and nothing all at the same time. And Kisame was restraining himself from bursting from anger.

"That was Deidara." Itachi spoke up, causing Kiba to look up at him. "You shall stay as far from him as you possibly can. Kisame and I are the only members of the organization you should ever come to for anything you might need. Is that understood?"

Kiba looked intently into Itachi's eyes, then nodded. "Is there anyone else I should avoid?" He asked cautiously, not completely sure if Itachi even wanted him to speak to anyone aside from him and his partner.

The dark haired man nodded softly, then said, "Zetsu. Do not go _anywhere near_ him. And you should not get too close to Hidan either. I know you do not know who they were just yet, but you will meet the rest of our organization in a day or so. Do you understand?"

Kiba nodded in answer, "I do. Stay away from Blondie, Zetsu, and Hidan. I think I should have no problem doing that..." Then his mind drifted to the voice he had heard arguing with Deidara and chanced a question, "Hey, uh... Itachi? Could I ask you a question?"

Itachi's eyebrow quirked only slightly at this and he didn't answer, but Kiba took that as Itachi allowing him to ask whatever he wanted.

Having gotten tired of just laying down, Kiba moved his arms to a position beside him that would allow him to hoist himself up. Then he brought his knees up towards himself. And after he allowed himself some time to breathe, the dog nin began to maneuver himself so he was sitting up on the couch. While he struggled to do so, both Kisame and Itachi just watched on, neither moving to try and help him.

Kiba felt gratitude towards the two for allowing him his space, then, once he was finally sitting on the couch, he looked up at Itachi with wide eyes.

"Well, truth be told, I have a lot of questions to ask you." He admitted softly, hoping that they would not grow too angered with some of the things he wanted to know. Like, just what had they done to become missing nins? "But-"

"Some of the questions you have would be best answered in privacy, Kiba." Itachi interrupted softly, moving so he was sitting beside Kiba. "Once we have the time, I will give you a full explanation of who Kisame and I are, as well as to what our organization does." He promised, then asked, "Do you have any questions that would not require too much explaining?"

Most of the questions Kiba had inside were dashed away as soon as Itachi said this, but he knew he had one question that the other should be able to answer.

"Yeah, I do. There was another person in here with the blonde guy- Deidara. I didn't get to see him, but he was telling Deidara to not bother me. Who is he?" Kiba questioned.

Itachi's face showed no change in emotions. And when the man spoke, his tone of voice was the same as always, "I believe you might be talking about Hiruko. Deidara's partner."

"Kiba, listen to me." Kisame spoke up with a stern tone, making both Itachi and Kiba turn to him with curiosity. "Every single member of our organization is powerful and dangerous. Itachi and myself included. I want you to stay away from anyone that is not either of us and to not make a nuisance of yourself. If you're going to be our tracker, I won't allow you to get yourself killed because you messed with the wrong person. Is that understood?"

Kiba noted that the man's voice was harsh and demanding, yet he could hear something hidden beneath the harsh tone that he was sure Kisame was trying to mask.

"It is." Kiba nodded, taking on an air of severity himself as he saw just how seriously both Itachi and Kisame were being. "I'll try my best to not be a pest."

"Good." Itachi commented before standing up, "Now come on. You are to bathe Akamaru and yourself."

At this, Kiba noted that Kisame _still_ had Akamaru in his hands, and on the inside he began to wonder just what had happened. But on the outside, he merely nodded and got up from the couch, wincing at the pain that shot up his whole body. But he followed after Itachi and Kisame, pushing through the pain that threatened to consume, all the while telling himself that he _had_ to walk. He couldn't show any more weakness.


	17. Plotting

Bathing Akamaru proved to be a... _Troublesome_ affair.

Kiba had known that he would eventually have to talk with his best friend about the lies he had given him before, but for some reason, he had yet to come up with any true explanation that would _not_ give away the truth. Even with all of the time that had passed since he left the jonin behind and got to where Itachi and Kisame took him, he had not been able to think up of a decent explanation.

Come to think of it, even though he had spent weeks recuperating before they reached their destination, Kiba had not been afforded too much time to think. It was actually rather odd now that he thought about it. Even with all of the time spent trying to heal himself while traveling, he had not had too much time to himself to be able to actually _think_.

His lack of preparation came to bite him in the ass as soon as Akamaru was awoken from Kisame's arms and informed of the bath they both would be taking.

Because neither Itachi nor Kisame would be present while the Inuzuka and his pup bathed, Akamaru immediately took notice of the chance to corner his master and get answers out of him.

As soon as they had explained how the shower worked and that they would leave some clothes waiting with a towel for him, Itachi and Kisame left the bathroom and allowed Kiba and Akamaru to get to bathing. Which left Kiba looking down at the sitting dog, who looked up at him with just as much intensity.

They both knew they would have to talk now. Kiba just wasn't sure how he was supposed to begin.

~/~

Akamaru had gathered a lot of information when his master had left him with Kakashi's pack.

"We were sent by the Hokage to get you and the Inuzuka back home." Pakkun had explained as they had begun to run after the fleeing Inuzuka.

When Kiba had run off from Bull's back to go towards the area where the jonin, Bitch Face, and Dumb Shark were all fighting, Akamaru had become alarmed and immediately chased after his master. But the small dog, Pakkun, had stopped him before he could intercept in anything like Kiba had done, and told him to stay put. There was no way that a mutt like he would be able to change anything when against such dangerous enemies.

So instead of allowing the Inuzuka pup to go after the human, Pakkun had opted for a different strategy.

"Clearly, the kid has gone through some ind of trauma." The small dog had muttered to himself after he had stopped Akamaru from running forward, "And this fight ain't going the way the boss thought it would. Especially with the kid running off and rendering our mission useless..." Then he sighed to himself and looked at the white pup before him, "Listen here, pup, I've got a mission to give you."

Akamaru had whined softly at the idea of not being able to run after Kiba to make sure he didn't get harmed, but stayed put to listen to Pakkun.

Being part of the Inuzuka Clan, he was very well aware of pack mentality and knew the intricacies of social standing. He also understood the respect an elder was entitled to, no matter who. So he understood that he was to listen to Pakkun, even though he wanted to chase after his master.

Besides, he had been somewhat curious about Pakkun's ravings. The dog had been making little sense to Akamaru, and so had left the pup slightly confused. If he listened, though, to whatever the older dog would say, then Akamaru might finally have gotten some answers.

"Your kid, he ain't feeling all that hot. I'm sure you've noticed that too." Pakkun had stated, looking directly at Akamaru, "And for some reason, he's disrupting his own rescue mission. There must be something going on in his head that's turned him against logic. I want you to stay with him and make him get better." He had commanded of the pup, who whined softly and shook his own head.

Kiba was tortured, the pup had barked. And Dumb Shark and Bitch Face saved him.

"What? Kisame and Itachi did that?" The other dog that could speak had asked in shock, walking towards Akamaru. "This don't smell good for the boss, Pakkun."

"I know." Pakkun had then looked down at the floor and growled softly, "Akamaru, you are to stay with the Inuzuka pup at all times. Make sure he gets better. And make sure that he keeps to his roots and doesn't abandon the village. The last thing he needs is to be branded as a rogue ninja because of some stupid mistake."

After all of this, Akamaru remembered how the pack of dogs had suddenly poofed away from him, leaving him alone in that forest with nothing but his thoughts.

He had been worried for Kiba since had found him. But, even though he still did not know much, Akamaru was sure of at least one thing. He had to stay with Kiba and ensure his well being. Even though the human boy insisted on being secretive with whatever had happened to him, Akamaru would have to stay with him and keep him safe.

With all of this still clear in his mind, Akamaru had allowed Kiba his space. And he had allowed Bitch Face to use whatever genjutsu he had on Kiba because of the promise of his human getting better.

For he knew that to help Kiba, he would have to give him some privacy and some time to adjust.

But now that they had reached their destination and were left alone for the first time in days, Akamaru was also aware of how pressed for time he truly he was. If he didn't confront the boy now, he may never get the chance to do so again.

So as soon as the two men had left the bathroom, Akamaru reared back to look at Kiba and barked out his demands.

"Tell me what really happened in that camp with those men. Tell me what they did to you and how they hurt you. Then tell me just what kind of contract you struck up with Dumb Shark and Bitch Face... Because there's no way you would have ever left Kurenai behind if you hadn't made some kind of deal!"

All of his bottled up and restrained anger and worry had been let loose at that moment, and from the wide eyed look Kiba gave him, he knew the human was caught off guard.

Which was good. Because it would make the boy tell him the truth.

~/~

"A-Akamaru..." Kiba spoke up after Akamaru had barked and growled at him, making demands to finally get answers out of him. "You... You don't need to know what happened..." He breathed out after a while, then shook his head and turned to the shower.

He had known this was going to come eventually. Yet he had spent weeks so focused on healing and getting better that he had forgotten completely to prepare. And now... He knew he had no way to lie anymore. The pup knew that those had been the actual jonin from Konoha. His past lie of the face snatchers would not stick anymore.

Turning on the water, Kiba breathed in heavily and noticed that his hands had begun to shake. When had that happened?

From behind him, he could hear Akamaru pressing. The dog didn't _want_ to hurt the human. But he also wanted to know the truth. And he wanted to understand why they had left Konoha behind and joined this organization. He wanted to know why Kisame and Itachi both looked after him like some lost pup... And he wanted to know why Kiba allowed himself to seem like some lost pup.

One thing that had always bothered him about other people was that they never seemed able to understand just how truly intelligent Akamaru was. This dog was not just a normal, average dog. He was a nin dog. Bred specifically to be an Inuzuka's partner in combat. And not just any dog could fill the obligations that came with fighting.

Akamaru was a smart pup, no matter the ignorance of most people. And he was more than just in tune with his master's emotions... He was also affected by them. What Kiba felt, Akamaru did. What Kiba thought, Akamaru always guessed correctly. What hurt Kiba... Hurt Akamaru.

"You want the truth, Akamaru?" Kiba asked in a voice that didn't seem like his own for it was so detached and emotionless.

The dog merely barked in assent as he jumped beside the human, looking up at him with large eyes.

The boy closed his eyes tightly at this, then shook his head and opened them with determination. He had healed. He could walk. He could eat by himself. He could do just about everything he was able to before, even though it was with a lot of pain. He had grown. He had matured. And he had _survived_.

Clearly, lying and deceiving had gotten him nowhere but somewhere painful... Maybe if he told the truth... Maybe he would stop hurting so much.

So he told the dog _everything_. With the water running to cover up his voice to whoever might be outside listening, the boy poured his heart out to his dog. Starting from the moment when he struck the deal with the man, all the way to when he came to a decision with Itachi, and to when he decided to lie to Akamaru about everything that had happened... Kiba released all of the pain held inside of himself with every single word he said.

And, much to his shock, instead of Akamaru growing angered with him when he explained the deal he had made with Itachi, the pup only jumped into his arms and licked at his cheeks. He wasn't so sure when he had begun to cry, but he was more than sure that when Akamaru kissed him, he could feel the tears.

By the end of his tale, he was hugging Akamaru close to his body while tears fell softly from his eyes.

But these weren't tears of anger and frustration... They were tears of joy.

He could finally stop trying to lie to his best friend! He had told him everything and the pup had not rejected him as his master, as Kiba thought he would have. Instead he had comforted him... And this made Kiba beyond happy.

"You don't hate me, do you, boy?" Kiba asked the dog as he looked into his eyes, looking at all the love and appreciation Akamaru didn't try to hide.

And with a sequence of barks, growls, and yips, Akamaru both scolded and reassured the Inuzuka.

"You're an idiot. But I could never hate you. You were caught in a difficult situation... Who knows what Dumb Shark and Bitch Face would have done to you, Bug Boy, and Kind Eyes if you hadn't made that deal? I'm sure they're crazy, you know. Certifiable psychopaths... Now let's get into that bath water and splash up a storm. I want to see Bitch Face's face when he gets in here and sees the mess."

Laughing at Akamaru's use of nicknames, Kiba nodded and shook his head softly, "Sure thing. Come on, Akamaru."

Then he turned the water from spraying from the shower head to instead leave through the faucet, beginning to fill the tub up. He and Akamaru had always liked baths more than the shower... Maybe it was because they both enjoyed being surrounded by water.

And with a much lighter heart, Kiba sunk into the warm water, then chuckled when Akamaru jumped in and began to splash around, clearly set on causing a reaction from Itachi.

~/~

Approximately twenty minutes had passed since Itachi and Kisame had left Akamaru and Kiba alone to bathe, and they were both beginning to grow impatient.

Itachi didn't want Kiba facing any member from the Akatsuki alone. They were all dangerous and rather unhinged beings, even though he doubted they'd attack unprovoked. Besides, the only members, aside from their leader and his right and left hand people, that found themselves in this location were Deidara and Hiruko. But this thought did not garner any kind of assurance in Itachi.

He had seen the way in which Deidara looked at Kiba. The blonde's eyes had held the same twinkle they did whenever he planned something sinister... And he already knew that Itachi had been the one to bring Kiba in. Kiba could be in serious trouble if Hiruko was not able to keep Deidara's attention for the rest of their stay.

Ever since Itachi had incapacitated the blonde in their first match-up, Deidara had fostered nothing but rancor and loathing for the rogue Uchiha. He had found his loss completely insulting and unfair. And he hated the fact that Itachi was so good that he'd never be allowed to fight him once more as long as they were part of the same organization.

If Deidara's mind was anything like Itachi thought it would be, the man had undoubtedly already begun to think of ways of using Kiba to get to Itachi, even though the blonde didn't completely know of just how much Itachi cared for the teen.

... If he wished to keep Kiba safe, he would have to remain even more distant while Deidara and Hiruko took refuge in this location.

"He's taken a long time."

Looking up from the book in his hands, Itachi found Kisame frowning heavily as he sat on one of the recliners in the main room, his large blade leaned against the wall to his left. His eyes were narrowed, while his hands clenched each other tightly and his jaw seemed locked.

Luckly for Itachi, Kisame cared for Kiba. And Deidara held no particular grudge against the shark nin, nor did he dare face him in a battle.

While Deidara had an explosive long range skill, Kisame was a deadly opponent that could fight in all kinds of ranges. Short was his favorite because of his weapon, but he was just as effective in mid range and long rage as well. If ever there were to be a face off against those two, Itachi was more than confident in Kisame's abilities to win.

"Undoubtedly, he is talking with Akamaru." Itachi told him monotonously, all the while beginning to think of ways to ensure Kisame showing his care for Kiba for all the Akatsuki to see to keep them away from the boy. "They have not been allowed a moment alone in a long time. This has been a long time coming."

If Itachi were to show any care for Kiba, Deidara would use the boy against him. The other members had no real grudge against him, but they would also see that he wasn't entirely emotionless... Something he could not fully afford.

But Kisame was known throughout their organization as a passionate and loyal individual. They would not be too surprised to see that he had taken to caring for another individual because they would not want to get on his bad side. And because he was so vicious and emotion driven, they would strive to not piss him off. And, the wholly best part of it, Deidara would no longer target Kiba as a way of getting to Itachi.

"Again, Itachi, I can't _believe_ you had us bring that runt here." Kisame's words were growled, but they had lost their edge a long time ago.

Itachi knew that this was because he had lost the will to fight this particular issue some time ago. He merely continued stating the same thing over and over again to not lose his image before Itachi.

"You care for him." Itachi stated simply, showing no emotions on his face. "Do not act as if you don't."

"Just because I enjoy the humor the kid brings along doesn't mean I _care_ for him!" The man hissed, then shook his head. "I didn't like the way Deidara was looking at him."

"He will be fine."

"Just how can you be so calm about this? Itachi, Deidara hates your guts!" Kisame stood up then, moving to stand before Itachi with a huff. "How can you bring a genin into such a dangerous place and remain so detached from it all?" He questioned, frustrated with Itachi's indifference.

But Itachi only gave him a soft smile and stood up as well, "Because you are here."

Then the Uchiha walked off, formulating different plans in his head to have Kisame show the Akatsuki just how important Kiba was to him without incriminating himself... And Kisame just stared after him in frustration.

* * *

"Lady Tsunade, the team you sent after Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Kiba Inuzuka has returned."

"Ah. That's good Shizune. Were they successful?" Tsunade asked as she raised her head, allowing a tired smile to find its way onto her face.

Everything would be fine now. Kiba would be returned to his mother, who would be none the wiser about how dangerous his mission had truly been, and Tsunade would be able to lock all of this information up as strictly classified, only to be seen by the Hokage's eyes. If the three sent to capture Kiba had managed to bring back Itachi or Kisame, then they would have a leg up on the Akatsuki. If not, Tsunade would not be bothered.

She was just happy they had managed to evade a clan uprising.

The dark haired woman faltered softly at the questioned, shifting on her feet, then she sighed and shook her head. "Not at all, my lady. Kakashi has been in a comma for the past three days and needs immediate medical assistance. Kurenai and Asuma, oddly enough, came back with only minor injuries."

The small smile Tsunade had allowed herself fell as soon as Shizune finished the first sentence. And the frown that replaced it only managed to grow as the other woman continued.

This was all terrible news.

Not only would she have to think up of a contingency plan to keep the Inuzukas at bay, but she would have to face tough decisions for the whole village.

"Where are Asuma and Kurenai now?" She asked in a clipped tone, voice showing just how truly displeased she was with the whole situation.

"Yes, my lady." Shizune answered softly with a nod, "They are waiting to give you their report."

With a hum, the blonde woman thought to herself for a moment, then questioned, "And Kakashi? Is he in stable condition now? Or shall I have to go tend to him immediately?"

If it had been Itachi to get to him... Then there was no doubt that Tsunade would have her work cut out for her.

Shizune faltered for a moment, but seemed to come to a decision and shook her head, "He is not critical, Lady Tsunade." She spoke cautiously, "But I understand it would still be wise to check him over."

Clearly, the woman had been weighing her words, as if trying to keep her words as least provocative as possible. And with all the stress Tsunade had found herself under, her attention and care was very much appreciated.

"Thank you, Shizune." Tsunade breathed in heavily, closing her eyes to try and give herself a moment of peace. Then, once she had breathed out, her eyes opened with new strength and she nodded at her loyal friend. "Send Asuma and Kurenai in immediately. Then go check on Kakashi's status for me and report back once you have returned."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade." Shizune nodded immediately, then turned as quickly as she could and left the Hokage's office.

Tsunade was offered a few seconds of peace and quiet to think of how truly severe the situation had become.

Her first- and only- line of defense against an incensed clan had just been destroyed. Kiba's quick and painless return had been taken away from them with the incapacitation of Kakashi. And he would still be in the clutches of Kisame and Itachi, without a doubt.

With a frown on her face, Tsunade softly asked herself, "Just what could they want from him?"

But there was no answer. There was only silence.

Then that silence was broken by Kurenai and Asuma entering the room, a few bandages on their person, but neither limping nor showing any obvious signs of severe injuries.

"Hokage." They both nodded respectfully as they walked to stand before her desk, then waited in their spots.

"Asuma. Kurenai." She greeted them both with a curt nod, then exhaled and asked, "I have been led to understand that your mission was a failure?"

Neither spoke for a moment as they seemed to think on their answer, then Asuma took one step forward and began.

"You are correct in understanding that, Lady Tsunade. We were successful in reaching Kiba Inuzuka and intercepting Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha with the use of Kakashi's pack. The plan was for us to distract the members of the Akatsuki while Kakashi's ninken went ahead and snuck Kiba and Akamaru away from them... This plan worked well... Up to a certain point."

The Hokage quirked an eyebrow at this last bit, but allowed Kurenai to speak without interrupting.

"Kakashi went off to fight against Itachi while Asuma and I distracted Kisame. We had even managed to get him into a strangle hold that would allow us to incapacitate him until..." Then the woman drifted off, closing her eyes and turning her head away from the blonde woman.

Tsunade allowed Kurenai to compose herself before she looked at Asuma, who took one glance at the dark haired woman before continuing for her.

"Kiba came out of nowhere. He was covered in bandages and was screaming like all hell... He didn't look well, Lady Tsunade. His eyes... They reminded me of a wild animal trying to free itself from incarceration." Asuma told the woman, all the while remembering the way the Inuzuka had looked when he barreled into the clearing.

His clothes had not been any either Jonin ever remembered having seen him wear. So they knew they must have been recently given to him. Which meant that the Akatsuki members had given them to him... They had been much too clean and new looking to ever have belonged to the group of rogues that had capture the boy and his team.

Silence fell over the three after the man had spoken up, all deep in their own thoughts.

With a click of her tongue, Tsunade asked, "You mean to tell me that Kiba got in the way of his own rescue? Why? To stop you from capturing Kisame?"

Both jonin nodded, "That is the only conclusion we could come to, Hokage." Kurenai answered, then hastily said, "Lady Tsunade, if Kiba was put through torture and it was Itachi and Kisame that saved him... They could have played with his mind. He would have been vulnerable and they might have taken advantage of that vulnerability."

With a soft frown, the woman asked Kurenai, "And why do you tell me this, Kurenai?" Then she glanced over at Asuma and noticed his uncomfortable stance. "This boy just cost the village one of its most valuable jonin and the capture of at least one of the village's greatest threats." She reminded them with an almost harsh tone. "Not to mention, the Inuzuka Clan will be infuriated if word of this ever gets out."

"We understand that, Hokage." Kurenai answered back, emotions getting the better of her. "But this is just a kid. If what you told us was true, then Kiba was left in a dark place with those two as the only ones around to aid him. To have Kiba help them the way he did... I'm _convinced_ that they have taken advantage of-"

"Are you worried that I shall strike Kiba down as a rogue ninja?" Tsunade interrupted the other woman's inflamed speech, then saw the way they both froze and immediately knew. "You do not have to worry about that just yet. To release his status as a rogue would be to announce it to his clan. And they would _not_ take it all too well."

Then the blonde leaned back in her chair and raised her hand to grip her chin, "But what you have told me is troubling indeed, Kurenai. From what you have told me, Kiba's mind is fractured. And while I would love nothing more than to send some man power to hunt him down..." Then she drifted off and stopped herself from continuing, before looking at them both with steely eyes. "This mission and everything that happened are now under Hokage Level Classification. I want _none_ of this to leave this room. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Hokage." Both jonin nodded immediately.

"Good. Now go back home and get some rest. I need some time to think about all of this." She waved them both off, then leaned forward in her chair to rest her elbows on her desk.

Both Kurenai and Asuma bowed before her and turned to leave, but Tsunade was able to see Kurenai hesitate for a moment before leaving. For a moment, she wondered what the woman might have wanted to tell her. But then she began to think about the great mess she had wound up in and groaned heavily.

How was she to keep this from the Inuzukas now? It's not like she could just force the whole clan to remain quiet or send them all on missions until Kiba was returned...

With a sigh, the woman raised herself from her chair and began to walk out of her office. For now, she'd occupy her mind with the problem that would be helping Kakashi recover from whatever Itachi had done this time. After she had dealt with that... If she was lucky, then maybe she'd have some idea of what to do.


	18. Life Goes On

"Hinata, Shino, you shall be paired with Naruto for this next mission."

The three genin spared each other a glance before the woman continued to speak, but neither tried to say a thing.

"A caravan of performers is heading to the Land of Fangs and would like ninja assistance to cross some of the perilous terrain between our village and their destination." She explained herself, a small smirk in place, "This is a B-Ranked mission, Naruto, so you don't need to argue about me not taking you seriously."

Naruto burst into a wide smile at this, even though Hinata's eyes widened in shock.

"H-Hokage Sama?" She began to question, only to have the woman look at her pointedly.

"Hinata, I believe that your and Shino's abilities would be perfect for finding any kind of dangers you might face and Naruto is more than capable of aiding combat any violence." The woman told the girl, secretly easing her worries and assuring her that her past failure on a mission was something that could be overlooked.

"Thank you, Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto shouted as his smile seemed to widen further, making it look as if it were about to split his face in half at any moment.

A blush began to creep up on Hinata's cheeks as Naruto's eagerness seemed to get the best of him, then she clasped her hands in front of her and bowed respectfully, "Y-yes, Hokage S-Sama... Th-thank you."

Once both of them had left the room, Shino stepped forward towards the Hokage's desk and asked, "Has there been any word on Kiba's whereabouts?"

The boy's voice was straightforward and unwavering. And while Tsunade couldn't see his eyes because of the glasses that covered them, she was sure that they were filled with nothing but determination.

Quite frankly, she wasn't surprised to see that Shino was the one following up on Kiba's odd case. While Hinata was much too respectful to question her leader, Shino was a person that respected honesty and hid an enormous amount of overwhelming curiosity. And even though not many were able to see the signs of the Aburame's curiosity, Tsunade knew how to identify them very well.

He wanted to know about Kiba and his condition. And he would not allow Tsunade to just brush him off like she had Hinata.

So, with a soft smirk on her face, Tsunade played on an air of cool she certainly wasn't feeling. "There has been, yes." She answered, then pointed at the door, "But you have a current mission to worry about. And it is not a simple C or D-Rank. I gave this to you and Hinata especially because I believe in your abilities." Then she smiled as warmly as she could at the boy, "Now get going, Shino. Don't worry about Kiba."

The boy stood still for a moment, just looking at Tsunade rather than moving away, and the woman knew he was looking for any signs of dishonesty on her part. She kept the small smile on her face as he looked, then waved him out. At this final sign of dismissal, the boy bowed stiffly and made his way out of the office.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Tsunade's smile dropped into a frown and she was allowed to hunch over like she had wanted to throughout the whole meeting.

She had sent Shino and Hinata off on what could be a month long mission to better her chances of retrieving Kiba before any of those closest to him were able to figure out that something was truly amiss.

* * *

After they had finished bathing, Kiba dressed in a comfortable long sleeved shirt and loose fitting pants. As he dressed, he took the chance to look at his injuries and cringed at their state. They were healing, at least. But they would leave horrid scars on his body. And, for the rest of his life, whenever Kiba looked at his body, he would be reminded of the hell he had been put through because of those wretched bastards.

A bark from Akamaru caused the boy to break out from his reverie on his scars, then he turned to see the pup looking at him somewhat worriedly.

"It's nothing, Akamaru. I'm fine." He answered the unasked question he knew his dog was thinking, then he turned to face the door.

Because Itachi had told them he was not to interact with any of the other members of their organization, Kiba didn't want to run the risk of stepping out to try and find him. Instead, the boy called for Itachi and Kisame, in hopes that they would hear him and arrive in no time.

Akamaru stared at Kiba for a little moment after the boy called for the two men, but soon shook his head and turned to the water that was left over in the bath. As they waited for the two to appear, the pup took the chance to splash some of the still draining water along the floor and walls, dead set on getting a reaction from Itachi. Kiba just allowed the pup to go about his with his actions, deciding that Akamaru deserved a bit of humor in his life.

It took a while for the men to appear, but when they did, Akamaru did not get the reaction he had hoped for. He did get a reaction, though... It just didn't come from Bitch Face, as Akamaru had lovingly dubbed Itachi.

"The hell?!" Kisame growled as soon as his eyes fell over the water all around the bathroom and the water the pup had splashed onto the outsides of the bath. "Inuzuka, what have you done?"

Immediately Kiba shook his head and jumped back and away from the shark nin, even though he noticed how Itachi didn't seem to react at all to the sight of the water.

"It wasn't me! Akamaru did this!" Kiba tried to defend, but he knew that he truly was at fault here. He had allowed Akamaru to splash up a storm, even though he could have stopped the pup at any moment.

"Your first night in our organization's base and you decide to flood the damn bathroom?" Kisame growled in pure annoyance as he crossed his arms over his chest, then shook his head and looked at Itachi. "Are you going to deal with this? This happened because of you, after all."

Kiba's eyes went to Itachi now, and, really, Kiba should have expected this reaction. But with the way Kisame was reacting, Kiba had been worried that Itachi would probably punish him or do something for having allowed Akamaru to have decorated the bathroom with water.

Itachi's face was as serene and emotionless as ever, though. No annoyance, no distaste, no _nothing_.

"I believe you have the mental faculties to be able to deal with this small problem, Kisame." Itachi said blandly as he turned his eyes onto Kisame, even though Kiba could swear he could hear a small hint of amusement in his voice. "Kiba, Akamaru, come with me. You shall eat dinner then I shall take you to your room."

"Wait, Itachi-" Kisame immediately tried to argue against his partner's decision, but he found himself interrupted by two blurs whizzing past him with twin whoops.

"See you later, Kisame!" He heard the human blur shout out, only to be followed by a series of happy sounding barks.

After he had spoken up, Itachi had turned around and begun to leave the room, which meant that Kiba and Akamaru chased after him to not be left alone in the room with the soon to be pissed off Kisame.

The small rush of adrenaline that had come from possibly being hurt by an angered Kisame died down as Kiba and Akamaru followed after the dark haired man, but Kiba didn't dare speak up to talk to Itachi. The man was... An oddity. And while Kiba always felt comfortable and safe whenever he was around, he just didn't know how to interact with him without doing something that wound undoubtedly annoy Itachi.

After walking through the dark halls in silence, Kiba deep in thought about just how he could try to strike up a conversation without embarrassing himself, the boy found the silence they had plunged into broken by the stoic man.

"You are hungry, correct?" Itachi asked with a small curious inflection to his tone, "It has been some time since you last ate."

Blinking at the observation, Kiba couldn't help but suddenly feel a blush creep up on his face. He wasn't sure why and he didn't understand it either, but knowing that Itachi cared about him, even if it was by a small bit... It made him feel... Well... _Good._

"Yeah. I could eat." He answered softly, looking down at the floor he walked on.

The halls in this place were dark and barely lit by the torches that were spaced along them, and were given an eerie glow by these very torches. And the base was so big that every step they took echoed throughout, which added to the creepy aura that surrounded the whole place.

All in all, this place reminded Kiba a bit too much of that castle he, Hinata, and Naruto were once sent to... He could only hope that there wasn't any insane summon in the place. He wasn't sure if his heart could take so much tensions and suspense this time around.

"What would you like to eat?"

Kiba was taken further off guard by the sudden question.

"Huh?" He mumbled softly as he looked back up at Itachi, only to see the man look back at him for one second before he turned away to face forward once more.

"What would you like to eat, Kiba?" The man repeated, then elaborated. "We have all kinds of food in our base because of the varying likes and dislikes of the members of our organization. There should be enough ingredients here to make you something simple."

The boy's eyes only widened the more Itachi spoke.

It was one thing for this man to bring him food while Kiba still couldn't walk... But it was a whole different story when the man offered to make him food, even though Kiba could move around.

"Y-You don't have to make anything f-for me, Itachi." For some reason, he seemed to have adopted Hinata's shyness and stutter all of a sudden. "I-I'll be f-fine-"

"Kiba, please." Itachi interrupted the boy, stopping suddenly to turn to him and place his hands on his shoulders.

Itachi's dark eyes bore into Kiba's own intently, and the Inuzuka was more than surprised to see the man looking at him like this.

"You are still hurt. Your injuries were severe enough that if you had been looked after properly, you would most probably still be in a hospital. Do not push yourself to try and show me that you are strong. There is no need for that here." Then, as if Itachi was not done surprising Kiba, he chose to give the boy a small smile. "Now, would you tell me which dish is your favorite? I would like to see if I am able to make it for you tonight."

Was this really the man Kiba had assume to be detached and cold hearted? No... This wasn't... And Kiba had only assumed that at the beginning and in moments of doubt. But, until now, Itachi had always cared about him. This was the man to promise him his and his teammates' safety. This was the man that had shown how much he cared not through words, but through actions. This was the man that wrapped Kiba up in his coat when the boy began to shiver and allowed him his space when Kiba began to feel overwhelmed.

Why was this man so enigmatic?

"Uh... S-some steak would be good..." He managed to stutter out through his confusion, eyes wide as Itachi continued to smile softly at him.

A smile on Itachi's face... It was odd. But certainly not unwelcome.

"Alright. I can do that." The man stated, then moved to stand beside Kiba and wrapped an arm around him. "Let's go." And with this, Itachi began to lead Kiba away and towards the direction of what Kiba assumed to be the kitchen.

It was rather odd to see Itachi smile at him, much less actually hear him offer to make food for him. But, even with how odd it truly was, Kiba began to feel his chest warm in a way it hadn't in a very long time. And as he followed quietly after Itachi, he couldn't help the slightly stupid grin that overtook his face.

~/~

Itachi could cook efficiently. And his food was delicious.

These were the two conclusions both Kiba and Akamaru came to a little less than an hour after Itachi had asked Kiba what he would like for food.

The kitchen in the base was rather large, a size that spoke to accommodating more than just a few bodies at a time, and Itachi took full ownership of the space as soon as he stepped in. The way he managed to move around the whole space actually managed to surprise Kiba, even though Akamaru refused to acknowledge Itachi doing anything worthwhile.

Kiba still couldn't understand why his best friend didn't want anything to do with Itachi, but he wasn't about to push the pup. He had just recently told the animal the whole truth of why they were now in this unfamiliar territory and he worried about accidentally pushing Akamaru away. And that was the last thing he wanted now that they had been able to actually reconnect.

With silence reigning over them, both Akamaru and Kiba watched as Itachi moved around the space, preparing the food he had promised to make. The man's movements were performed with gracefulness and a practiced ease that reminded Kiba nothing of his mother and sister.

While Tsume and Hana Inuzuka usually cooked in their household, they were usually always loath to do it and made their disdain with having to cook for the whole household rather clear. The only reason why they didn't force Kiba to cook was because they had learned early on that he would burn everything to a crisp if allowed to. He had done it on purpose, of course, and had not been made to cook since.

A sad smile made its way onto Kiba's face at the thought of his mother and sister, suddenly remembering that he would never be able to see them again... At least, not on good terms.

His mother would never smack him over the head, only to ruffle his hair and force him to repeat the failed training move ever again... He'd never be able to bake Christmas cookies with his sister ever again...

The sizzling from Itachi's direction, coupled with the amazing smell that wafted over, managed to bring Kiba out of his moping, if only slightly.

Akamaru barked at Kiba, asking the boy if he was alright, and Kiba smiled and nodded over at the pup.

"You can sit."

Both the pup and the boy looked at Itachi when he spoke up, even though he never turned to face them.

This was when Kiba felt his face begin to burn up slightly, noticing the chairs by the counter that were clearly meant to be sat on. "Yeah... We know." He muttered softly, all the while moving towards the chair nearest him to pull it out and sit on it.

Akamaru yipped at the boy, pawing at the tall chair, which made him nod and lean down to place the pup on the chair to his left before he fully sat down. Once he had finally done so, Akamaru propped his front paws against the kitchen counter, looking at food that was being prepared intently while the boy couldn't help but look at Itachi as the male moved.

He was so different from his mother and sister... It was rather refreshing, though, to see someone not clamoring around in the kitchen while cursing ever having to make food.

More minutes of silence passed between the three males as Itachi continued to cook, then, both the boy and the pup perked up when Itachi began to get plates for the food. Kiba's mouth began to salivate at the promise of wonderful food, all the while Akamaru licked at his own lips in eagerness. If the smells were anything to go by, then this food was going to be really good.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Itachi asked as he turned around with one plate of food in each hand.

As soon as he had turned around, he'd found both Kiba and Akamaru seated by the kitchen counter, something he had expected. Even though he knew none of the other members of the organization would particularly enjoy the idea of a dog eating from the same place they did, he didn't particularly care. Especially because he understood the deep-rooted relationship between the Inuzuka and his animal. Besides, Akamaru had proven to now how to eat when around human beings. Kiba had undoubtedly had to teach his animal in the past.

"Some water would be nice." Kiba smiled softly as Itachi placed the plates in front of either males, then Itachi nodded and turned around once more to head over to the cabinets to serve them water.

When the man came back, he placed a bowl of water near the edge of where Akamaru sat, even though he gave Kiba a regular glass. He had also taken the opportunity to place a set of eating utensils by Kiba, although far enough away to not make Kiba feel as if he had to necessarily use them.

From what he had seen of the boy, he enjoyed to be more wild than contained. And one of the things he thoroughly seemed to take pure joy from was eating with his hands. And Itachi surely didn't want to make him feel obligated to use utensils when he certainly didn't have to.

As soon as they sunk their teeth into the steak the older man had prepared, both Akamaru and Kiba emitted twin sounds of amazement and delight. Their eyes closed for a moment as they appreciated the food in their mouths, then they began to eat in a ravenous and almost wild manner, choosing to get the food into their mouths as fast possible rather than truly taste it and enjoy it.

"This is delicious, Itachi!" Kiba managed to make out through a mouthful of food, then looked up to find Itachi looking at him with a soft smile on his face.

And, once more, his face lit up in a slight blush as he noticed just how savagely he had been eating. If Kurenai Sensei had been here, she would be scolding both him and Akamaru for showing no table manners.

Now that he knew that Itachi was looking at him, the young boy became very self-conscious of what he was doing. So he stiffly wiped at his sauce smeared lips before reaching for the fork and knife Itachi had brought with the drinks, then began to cut the meat like a normal human being.

While he brought one of the cut pieces of the steak to his mouth, Kiba mentally berated himself for having acted like such an animal in front of Itachi. Undoubtedly he'd been smiling because he had been thinking about how much of an idiot Kiba was.

So Kiba took to eating the amazing steak like a human being rather than tearing at it with hands and teeth, although he'd look at Akamaru every now and then and feel jab of jealousy run through him at seeing the pup enjoying himself so wildly. His white fur was now covered in the dark red sauce that had been on the steak and Kiba knew he'd have to bathe the animal once more. He wasn't looking forward to that, though, considering what Akamaru had done just a few minutes ago.

But, even though he ate at a much more moderate pace, Kiba still wolfed down the steak in a rather fast speed. Sure, the utensils stalled him a bit and he was more mindful to not end up with too much of anything on his face, but he still was rather hungry and the food was too good to take it in slowly.

Once they both had finished eating, Itachi grabbed back all of the plates, utensils, and cups, then set them down in the sink before motioning for the two to follow him.

For a second, Kiba thought about offering to wash the dishes. Then he remembered Itachi's intense gaze when they were back in the hallway and decided against him. If the man hadn't asked it of him, it was because he hadn't wanted Kiba to do it. And the boy really didn't want to bother Itachi in any manner. Not even with offers of cleaning up after himself.

The group of three walked down another dark hallway, this one just a bit more lit than the last one. And when they stopped, it was when they reached an inconspicuous, dark door, one that looked like every other one they had passed by on their way there.

"Kiba, Akamaru, this is mine and Kisame's room." Itachi informed the duo as he opened the door, then allowed them to step inside. "You can sleep on my bed tonight."

The room was lit by a lamp in the far end of it, which rested on top of a nightstand in between two rather large beds. But aside from that, there was no more furniture in the room. No extra mattress for Akamaru and Kiba to sleep on.

Immediately Kiba turned to object, "But you don't have to lose your bed, Itachi. Akamaru and I can just-"

"I will be rooming with another member of the organization, Kiba. Kisame will stay in his bed, you and Akamaru will take mine, and you will sleep." Itachi interrupted calmly as he pushed Kiba softly in the room.

"But, if that's how you guys are gonna do it, then I can just sleep on the fl-"

As Kiba tried to offer a comfortable medium that would ensure neither man losing their bed, the dark haired male brought the covers of the bed back, pushed Kiba onto it, and swiftly covered Kiba up in the blankets and comforter there. Then, as swiftly as he had done everything else, Itachi moved so he stood right beside the nightstand and turned the light off, making the whole room submerge into the darkness.

Quite frankly, Kiba did not like being man handled. And he had a good mind to growl at Itachi that he wasn't some three year old that needed to be tucked into bed to be able to sleep.

But, just as he moved to open his mouth to tell Itachi this, he noticed the scent he had been surrounded by. No longer was Itachi just a body close to his, but his scent had literally seeped into the blankets and bed he used normally. Which meant that, much like with his cloak, now Kiba found himself completely surrounded by the comforting smell that was Itachi's own.

And when he took one big breath in, Kiba felt his eyes become heavier and his body begin to relax. Itachi smelled of safety and good things.

Okay... He'd fall asleep now, he'd play into Itachi's game. But as soon as he woke up he was going to give the man a piece of his mind!

He was out like a light after this thought came to him.

So deep he was into sleep that he didn't even notice Itachi's hand softly caress the side of his face, only to hang loosely be his side afterwards. And the man stood for a moment, just looking down at Kiba's calm and sleeping face, before allowing himself a soft smile and walking out of the room to look for Kisame.


	19. Let's Begin

The day after he allowed himself to fall asleep- even though he seriously didn't want to because Itachi had won that round and there was something that made him uncomfortable about that- Kiba awoke to a rather annoyed looking Kisame.

The shark nin was already awake and dressed, even though he was missing the dark cloak that seemed to be the uniform of this organization. Instead he was in a simple pair of navy blue pants, matching sandals, and a dark gray shirt. His face was pulled into a tight frown and his eyebrows were drawn tight, with his eyes focused on a point to the far side of the room, and he had his back turned to him and Akamaru.

But, even though he didn't make any sounds, Kisame noticed that Kiba awoke. And when the man noticed this, he turned to the kid with a broad and toothy smile.

"Have a good night?" He asked almost kindly, which immediately made bells start ringing in Kiba's head.

Kisame was never willingly nice. He instead chose to hide nice acts beneath layers of gruff and reluctance. He had never done anything good for Kiba without putting up some type of show.

Hesitatingly, Kiba sat up on the bed, "Yeah... I slept well..." Then he looked down at the foot of the bed to find Akamaru beginning to wake up as well.

"Oh, you did?" Kisame asked conversationally, "That's really good. You see, after the little gift you and your dog decided to leave me in the bathroom, I decided _I_ should do something _nice_ for _you_."

Kiba was truly amazed to see Kisame's smile turn sinister and deadly. It wasn't any kind of violent sneer he had seen back when the man was caught in a position to fight. If anything, it was even scarier. And that was because it was directed wholly at Kiba.

"Kisame?" Kiba gulped audibly as the man's eyes seemed to light with a dangerous fire.

But before he could say anything else, the man was suddenly throwing the covers of Itachi's bed off of Kiba's body and grabbing him. The boy's body tensed immediately at the foreign touch, but Kisame didn't say anything about it. Instead he just threw Kiba over his shoulder unceremoniously and plucked Akamaru up by the scruff of his neck and began to walk out of the room.

"Let's have some fun, huh?"

~/~

Akamaru had not been allowed to eat any breakfast.

That evil Dumb Shark had pulled him away from an incredibly amazing dream about biting Bitch Face's ugly face off way too early in the morning. And, as if that had not been enough, he had touched and carried Kiba as if he were some measly idiot, not the amazing boy Kiba was!

It was one thing to think that Kiba had been through hell... But it was a completely different thing to _know_ the kind of hell his master had been forced through.

If Akamaru had known just what exactly would have happened to his master after he left with the merchant, he would never have agreed to go. Even though he wasn't human, he could understand just how terribly scarring what he had been put through could really be.

Rape and torture, after all, were things that could break even the strongest of beings.

Admittedly, when he had found out that they were now to be Dumb Shark and Bitch Face's trackers, Akamaru had grown angered with Kiba. If these men truly were as good as they tried to portray themselves, then they never would have agreed to taking on two inexperienced trackers such as themselves!

But Akamaru had not voiced out these thoughts as Kiba continued with his story. No matter how little he trusted the two they followed now, he was begrudging to admit that Kiba _did_ trust them. They had come like white knights and saved him from the worst place he had ever been caught in his life. And the human would feel indebted to them until he had proved himself... This was the Inuzuka pride Akamaru had to deal with, after all.

Sure, Akamaru would have loved to be able to go home and return to bothering Kuromaru whenever Tsume was preparing their meals. But he was Kiba's dog first and foremost. And he would never abandon the boy, no matter where he went.

Besides, if Akamaru didn't stay with him, the boy would undoubtedly wound up getting hurt by Dumb Shark and Bitch Face. And there was no way that Akamaru would allow Kiba to get hurt ever again while on his watch.

Which is why he stayed with him after Kiba told him everything. After all, they were partners. And partners didn't abandon each other when things got tough. They stuck through it and kicked the world's ass, right?

With his stomach grumbling as much as it was now, Akamaru couldn't help but kind of regret having decided to stay with Kiba... He'd never leave the boy, really... But right now... Hell, even Bitch Face seemed nice when compared to what Dumb Shark was doing.

"Once you finish this lap, we'll revise the proper stance for holding either the katana, tantō, or ninjatō. I'm going to let you choose which one of those three you want to start with."

Akamaru growled at the man's dark chuckling, his eyes narrowed all the while the blue man just ignored the noise coming from the dog.

Kiba, in the meantime, was busy doing a kind of jog-trot around the training grounds Kisame had forced them to go to. He was breathing heavily, face red, and Akamaru could tell that his injuries were still hurting him, even though the boy didn't want to allow others to know it.

With a consecutive string of barks and growls, Akamaru shouted at Kisame for being such a bastard and putting Kiba through such torture. Sure, the kid had eaten, but he wasn't still ready for this kind of physical exertion! And the damned bastard knew it, he just wanted to get revenge on Kiba for allowing Akamaru to make a mess of water in the bathroom. Which, in hindsight, was rather petty of him. It was just water!

"Shut up, you damned dog."

Oh, Dumb Shark wanted to die! Akamaru wanted nothing more than to jump up and bite the idiot's damned face off! If he hadn't been chained up to the stump on the floor, then he would have! But Dumb Shark had been smart enough to tie him down before he even told Kiba about what they were going to do that day.

When Kiba finally finished his final lap, he was panting heavily and hunched on his knees, trying to regain his breath.

With a couple of barks, Akamaru asked him if he was fine. But the stubborn idiot merely shook Akamaru off, flashed him a tired smile, then turned his full attention to Dumb Shark once more.

"Just why..." He breathed out at this, then breathed in and finished the whole sentence, "Just why are you so set on showing me how to wield a sword, Kisame?"

Dumb Shark's stupid arms were crossed over his chest as he moved over to the three different types of blades on a table to his left, an infuriating smirk on his face as he answered.

"It seems you're here to stay, kid. And I just wouldn't feel right taking you out on the field if I wasn't sure you could protect yourself with more than just kunai and shuriken." He explained lazily, then motioned at the three types of swords in front of him. "The katana seems a bit long for your height, but the other two would work rather well for you. The tantō is rather good if you are efficient at using both hands at the same time, though."

Akamaru hated the man. He hated Bitch Face too. But at least Bitch Face had never denied him food before. Dumb Shark had, though... Which meant that he was now the most hated on Akamaru's list.

Kiba's face screwed up in concentration at he looked at the weapons before him, then looked up at Kisame quizzically, "Uh... I've never used a sword in my life, Kisame. I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Akamaru knew his growling became louder after Kisame smirked at Kiba and answered with, "Good thing you have me here."

"Kisame, do you think maybe you could give Akamaru some food? He's really hungry."

Well, at least Kiba didn't seem to have been completely brainwashed... Akamaru was happy to see his master still spoke up for him.

Dumb Shark spared Akamaru a glance before he sighed and pointed two fingers at the table once more. "I'll focus on the pup. You focus on listening to my instructions."

With that, the blue skinned bastard walked back to the spot that he had been standing in, which happened to be right in front of Akamaru, but far enough to not be bitten by the pup. Kiba gave the dog an apologetic look, telling him without any words that he was truly sorry, then moved his hand to grab at the pair of tantō laid out before him.

With savage growls rising in volume, Akamaru couldn't help but glare fully at Dumb Shark. Then, when Kiba moved so he stood a few feet away from the man himself to be instructed, the growls ceased.

A diabolical plan formed in Akamaru's head as Kisame began to instruct Kiba on the proper way to hold the blades. Then, with a wicked smirk sent to Kiba- which made the boy look at the dog in confusion- Akamaru turned around and raised his leg.

With the same wicked smirk still in place, Akamaru relieved himself on Dumb Shark's legs.

The shouts that came from the man were completely worth the consequent punishment of being locked up in the bathroom while Kisame changed pants to continue teaching Kiba.

* * *

That night, after all of the exercises Kisame put him through, Kiba was extremely tired.

After Akamaru had relieved himself on Kisame's legs, the shark nin had not allowed the pup anywhere near him. Heck, the only reason Kiba had convinced the man to allow Akamaru to stay in the room was because he had promised to clean up any accidents the pup committed.

Even though hearing Kisame scream like bloody hell had been hilarious, Kiba had not been able to pick a side on the matter. Kisame had denied Akamaru food, so he could understand the pup. But he also understood that being peed on wasn't a pleasant experience, so he couldn't say that Akamaru was in the right, either.

In the end, he had been forced to play as mediator between both hotheads, which most probably hadn't helped with how tired he felt, actually.

But, no matter how much he willed himself to get some actual sleep, it seemed that Kiba's mind refused to understand just how tired his body truly was. All kinds of thoughts kept running through his head ceaselessly, and no matter how many times he tried to shush his mind, the boy was just not able to stop thinking.

Having seen Itachi in the kitchen had reminded him of his mother and sister, and since, he'd been plagued by thoughts of them.

How were they right now? Did they have any idea that their pup would not be coming home in a long time? Had Shino been able to see through his rather easy to see lies and given the truth away? Were they preparing some kind of team to hunt him down? Or- and this thought truly terrified Kiba- had they been told the whole truth... And then decided Kiba had proven to not be worth the Inuzuka name?

He had no idea where that thought had come from, but, in his mind, the possibility was high.

The simple, undeniable facts, were these: His team had been caught in an ambush and he had been foolish enough to strike a deal that ended in only pain and heartache for him. Then, like a fool that had learned nothing, he had struck yet another deal, this time with two missing nins that have proven to be dangerous beyond explanation. And, as if none of that had been enough, he had willingly helped Kisame and Itachi get away when his sensei and two more jonin tried to stop them.

Shino would have told the Hokage everything that had happened... He wouldn't have had any reason to lie to her. And he wouldn't be surprised at all if she had then told his mother because, really, why would the Hokage keep this information from the Inuzuka Clan Head?

But, a nagging voice in the back of his head told Kiba to not underestimate the Hokage in any manner. If keeping the truth from her meant keeping Tsume from rushing out like a wild animal in search of her pup, then she may just be inclined to keep the less savory bits of their mission to herself.

Shaking his head softly, Kiba sat up on the bed, allowing the sheets to pool around his waist. Blinking at the darkness in the room, he looked at the foot of the bed and found Akamaru slumbering peacefully, soft snores leaving him every now and then. After smiling softly at the animal, the boy turned his sights on Kisame and found that the large man had his back turned to him, but his shoulders rose and fell slowly, signalling being asleep.

As quietly as he could, Kiba pulled the covers off of his body and maneuvered his legs to hang over the side. Even though he had been healing rather quickly, the way Kisame had worked him earlier had left him... Well... Rather sore and tired.

But he knew himself well enough to know he would not be able to fall asleep until he had tired his mind out. And with his thoughts keeping him up, he highly doubted being able to quiet them down without stimulating his body and distracting his mind.

So, as quietly as he could, the young Inuzuka made his way towards the door and opened it as slowly as possible. When it was halfway open, the hinges creaked minutely, but the boy froze as soon as he heard the sound and didn't dare to move. Behind him, he heard Kisame shuffle slightly in his bed, before falling still once more. And, once he was sure both Akamaru and Kisame would not awaken, the boy hurried out of the room and into the dark hallway.

The torches weren't lit anymore, which meant that Kiba was basically blind. But he was an Inuzuka. He had been raised to rely on more than just his sight at all times. Which meant that he was accustomed to following his nose more often than not.

Sniffing at the air, Kiba caught the scent of wooden shavings, iron, and- oddly enough- paint. This was an odd combination of smells and he- admittedly- wanted to find out a bit about it.

Sometimes, cats weren't the only ones killed by curiosity.

Following his nose, Kiba walked as quietly as he could down the long and dark hallway. His bare feet barely padded against the semi-cold floor, and for this he was grateful.

He was more than aware that if Itachi caught him, the man would undoubtedly grow livid... But, if he did, he wouldn't show it... Itachi was mostly emotionless at most times... Then again, he _had_ seemed to become more open with Kiba now that they had reached the base...

Once more Kiba shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts bouncing around inside it. It annoyed him to no end to always be doubting and sometimes even scared of Itachi's actions and reactions.

When he came across the door, it was ajar, and a small bit of light flooded into the hall from it. As if that wasn't just a tiny bit odd in the darkened place, Kiba could also _hear_ soft clicking noises originating from inside the room.

The clicking noise that kind of reminded him of the one Kankuro's puppets emitted whenever they were being used.

He neared the room as softly as possible, then peeked in through the opening to see just what could be making the odd noise.

Much to his surprise, he saw who he guessed must have been Hiruko. He had already seen Deidara, and Kiba only knew of him and his partner staying in this location aside from himself, Akamaru, Itachi, and Kisame. By elimination, this must have been the only member of the organization staying here he had yet to see.

The man... He wasn't sure if he could be called a man, actually. The black and red cloak worn by Kisame and Itachi was draped over what Kiba assumed to be his body, even though it seemed much too _dome-like_ to be an actual body. And his head stuck out almost oddly from the rest of the dark cloth, and it wasn't even that much of a handsome head from the small glimpses he could catch. Kiba hadn't seen too many people with that odd kind of hairdo in his lifetime.

But what was really odd about this man was that he was spinning around extremely fast. And when he turned his eyes to the bottom of his body, Kiba wasn't completely sure if he even was able to see any feet from beneath the hem of the cloak.

And, as if the man wasn't weird enough already, he suddenly halted in his rapid twirling, facing the wall away from the door.

Kiba leaned his face in closer to the opening, eyes squinting slightly at the sudden change in him, and found himself holding his breath as he waited for the man to move once more.

It was so odd... Everything this man was doing. Especially considering how the soft clicking noises seemed to come from _him_.

A rather tense silence had fallen inside the room, one that made Kiba wonder just what must have been running through the man's head. But that was suddenly broken by the sound of metal uncoiling and lashing out as a large _tail_ appeared from inside the man's cloak.

In the blink of an eye, the tail made its way towards Kiba, opened the door further and jutted out, only to wrap itself around the stunned Inuzuka's torso. Then, just as fast as it had come- without sparing Kiba any moment to truly make sense of what was happening- it dragged him into the room and towards Hiruko's still unmoving body. When his mind finally caught up with what was happening, Kiba move his hands to grab at the cold metal around him to try and pry it off, only to freeze as soon as he heard the door behind him slam shut.

"What are you doing here?"

The voice wasn't as gravelly as it had been when Kiba had first heard Hiruko speaking. Nor did it sound to be coming from the body. If anything, Kiba's ears were drawn to the corner of the room, behind him.

So he craned his neck as best he could while still in the grip of the odd tail wrapped around him, only to find yet another body standing there.

This one was considerably more human than who he had assumed to be Hiruko. This man was much shorter than Kisame and Itachi, but still stood much taller than Kiba's measly twelve year old height. And his body was hidden by the dark cloak as well, leaving Kiba no way of guessing what his body build might have been. But he could see his head. And with hair that was almost as pink as Sakura's and a face as devoid of emotions as Itachi's own, Kiba couldn't help but wonder just who this could be.

Maybe _this_ was Hiruko. Itachi had, after all, said there were only two others inside the organization's base: Deidara and Hiruko. And if the... _thing_ that was holding him now wasn't Hiruko, then the person in the corner of the room asking him what he was doing there must have been.

Still suspended in mid-air, Kiba looked at the man- could he even be called a man? He seemed to be even younger than Itachi- with wide eyes.

What could he tell him? 'I was only walking around this dark base because I couldn't sleep. And I peeked in on you doing whatever you're doing because I'm curious and wanted to know what was happening' didn't seem like the greatest answer he could give.

"Even though I told Deidara to not bother you, I do not take kindly to intruders in my workshop." He spoke in a soft tone of voice, even though Kiba could make out a hint of anger beneath the calm. "Now answer my question: _Why are you here_?"

Kiba's eyes widened as the metal around him begin to tighten marginally, then he managed to spit out, "I heard some clicking!"

It was a stupid reason, he knew that, but it was part of the reason why he had been so intrigued and had walked towards the room. The small was part of the curiosity, but then the clicks were added and he had been condemned to wanting to know what was making those clicks.

It sounded so much like Kankuro's puppets... He must have done it because he had even begun to miss that hard headed makeup wearer.

The male's face scrunched up slightly at Kiba's answer, but the pressure around him didn't increase. It didn't decrease either, but at least Kiba knew he wasn't about to crushed... At the moment.

"Clicking?" He repeated dumbly, then looked directly into Kiba's eyes. "You were able to hear Hiruko's joints?"

This question caught Kiba completely off guard, "Hiruko's? But... I thought _you_ were Hiruko."

The man, though, only seemed to wave Kiba's curiosity off as he walked towards him and the large _thing_ that still held onto Kiba, raising his hand to his chin in thought. But instead of helping Kiba down as the boy had hoped, the man merely walked in one slow circle around the cloaked being, eyes narrowed as he inspected the thing.

"Impossible... I cannot hear anything." The man mumbled softly to himself, then turned to Kiba once more. "Describe the clicking you heard."

His hands were still on the metal around him, but Kiba really wished he had them so he could tear at his hair. This man was even more cryptic than _Itachi_!

"I don't know." He shrugged, then continued hastily when he felt the metal begin to grow tighter. "Like the clicking of a puppeteer's puppets! It sounded just like Kankuro's puppets!"

Once again the pressure stopped when he answered, but it didn't decrease.

Maybe... _Maybe_ he shouldn't have gotten to exploring the base in the darkness. _Maybe_ he should have listened to Itachi's strict orders.

"Like a puppet's..." The man muttered softly once more, then tsked with his tongue and moved close to the cloaked being and began to touch at something in the front.

Kiba couldn't see what he was doing because the tail then moved him to face the other side of the room, away from the odd man and his odd... Whatever Hiruko truly was.

Minutes of complete silence in which Kiba didn't dare to say anything because of how perilous this situation proved to be. The man was, at the least, crazy. And Itachi was who knows where. And he wasn't too inclined to try and make a run for Kisame because he didn't even know if he'd get far with this metallic tail after much. Heck, he wasn't even sure if Kisame would try to help him at all.

He could hear soft sounds that kind of reminded him of bolts being tightened and work being done on some kind of machinery, but he wasn't completely sure. He didn't even know what was going on behind him.

After a few more minutes of this silence continued, he heard the man speak up.

"And now?"

Once more the clicking began, albeit just a tiny bit fainter than before, all the while Hiruko made a swift spin, taking Kiba along for the ride. The boy was completely caught off guard by the sudden change, but once his eyes had stopped spinning, he was faced by the man's stone face, eyes showing no emotion.

Softly, he managed to make it, "I still hear it."

The man's eyes narrowed in annoyance at this, then he growled and shook his head.

"No one is supposed to hear it!"

"I'm an Inuzuka. We have enhanced senses." Kiba explained hastily, hoping to try and appease the man enough so he would be let go.

The man's face twisted up in annoyance at that, then, much to the boy's surprise, the tail loosened from around him and dropped him unceremoniously onto the floor. Kiba yelped at the shock of pain that ran up him, but kept his eyes trained on the man as he moved once more over to Hiruko and began to work on him once more.

So... Hiruko was a puppet... Then... Who was the man that worked on Hiruko?

"And now?"

Once more Hiruko twirled, which made Kiba jump away to dodge the still present metallic tail that threatened to hit him. With his hands over his head and his eyes closed, Kiba regretted to answer with, "Still hear it..."

"If a child is able to hear it, then more skilled shinobi will be able to as well. I cannot allow this to be." The man muttered to himself, then glared at Kiba. "Have you ever worked on the limbs of a puppet?"

Immediately Kiba shook his head, then yelped once more when the tail wrapped around his arm. But this time, instead of meaning to hurt him, the appendage merely helped the boy stand up.

"Come here. Two sets of hands are faster. And you must be a thousand times more competent than Deidara." The man motioned for Kiba to walk towards him, all the while the tail uncoiled from Kiba's arm.

On shaky feet, Kiba walked towards the man, completely unsure of what to expect. Then, once he was right in front of him and Hiruko, the man handed him a screwdriver and pulled back the large cloak that covered Hiruko's body, uncovering a rather intricate puppet design.

"Anything you see that is loose, tighten it." Was commanded of him, and before Kiba could deny the order, the man was moving away and fiddling with something else.

With wide eyes, the boy stood still for a moment, then shook his head and forced his body to move. And so, with shaky and unsure hands, he began to tighten whatever screws he could find.

He worked in complete silence as the man continued to do whatever it was that he was doing, and by the time he had finished double checking all of the screws and joints he could think of, his eyes were incredibly heavy and he was yawning every few seconds. The fear and adrenaline that had been coursing through him at having a tail wrap around his middle seemed to have left him already, and taken his wild thoughts with them.

"I... think... I'm... dooo..."

He tried to tell the man he was finished, but instead he drifted off and fell asleep leaning against the large Hiruko.

Soft snores then began to fill up the previously quiet room, and the man turned to see the young boy sleeping on one of his greatest creations. The boy was slumped over Hiruko's large back with his eyes closed peacefully, mouth slightly open to be able to snore. The screwdriver he had been holding was gripped haphazardly in his right hand.

The man's eyes looked over the boy's sleeping form without showing any emotions on his face. Then he grabbed the cloak he had taken from around Hiruko, laid it down on the floor, and carefully lay the boy down on it. After that, he continued to work, unconsciously keeping any noises he might make softer so as not to wake the child.


	20. Interesting Morning

Kisame had been having fun commanding Kiba. The kid wasn't a complete natural when it came to wielding the double blades, but he was competent and driven enough to make up for that lack of natural talent. After all, practice did make perfect. And after just one day of working with him, Kisame could see that Kiba would make a good enough swordsman if allowed to continue practicing.

With a bit of chagrin, though, Kisame had to admit that the kid was, naturally, a brawler. The finer styles of weaponry were not part of who he was. Savage attacks that were meant to rip and shred were the kind he was accustomed to. And he could see the kid ripping foes apart with just his bare hands in the future if allowed to harness that savagery.

But he wasn't all that eager to have Kiba grow to become a fierce fighter that relied on his hands and feet. Sure, he had the longest nails Kisame had ever seen, but there was something about that fighting style that just didn't click with Kiba. The kid just didn't seem to be prepared to tear a foe limb from limb like his clan undoubtedly did. There was a kindness and softness in him that wouldn't allow it. And Kisame would tap into that kindness to drill sword fighting in him.

If he was being honest, having a student- no matter how ill-prepared to take on the teachings of the tantō- actually made some kind of pride rise up in Kisame. Along with excitement. He'd never had a student before... Brats were much too annoying for him to be around. But Kiba had yet to break out of the quiet and protected shell he had formed after being abused by that caravan of mercenaries, which meant he followed Kisame's instructions without hesitation.

But that damned dog of his... If Kisame were to ever be in a room alone with the pup, he would _not_ be held accountable for whatever happened. That damned animal was out to get him! Even though it was an animal, Kisame could see the spark of mischief inside of its eyes. And it certainly didn't help that it seemed as if Itachi and Kiba _both_ could communicate with him, even though Kisame couldn't.

Grumbling at the thought of the annoying dog that had decided to avenge itself of Kisame's punishment by _peeing_ on the man, the shark nin opened his eyes and stretched. He had slept dreamlessly the whole night and had been caught in that realm of not quite awake yet not quite asleep when he began to muse about Kiba's fighting style and how he could strengthen his swords skills.

Swiftly, the man stood from his bed and made to leave the room to begin his morning routine so he could wake Kiba up and begin yet another day of training. But when his hand was about to reach the doorknob, his hand stopped and his eyes narrowed.

The door had been left ajar.

Kisame never entered or left a room without completely closing the door to it. If one were to be critical about it, one could say it was a subconscious need to keep control of who entered and didn't the room. All he truly cared about was having the door closed because he didn't like to leave it open. As simple as that. And Itachi always closed after himself as well.

It was with this thought that turned his head to look at Itachi's bed. Even though the annoying fluff ball known as Akamaru slumbered peacefully at the foot of it, there was a distinct lack of Kiba on the bed that had Kisame immediately cursing the boy and his stupidity.

Without much thought to it, the shark nin swiftly walked out of the room and down the hallways, knowing that he'd have to find the idiot before Itachi found out the kid had managed to leave his sights during the night.

* * *

Kiba was taken out of his dreams by something poking him in the cheek.

"Five more minutes, Hana..." He mumbled softly, mind regressing to the routine mornings back in his home, back when Hana would wake him up with a similar technique to get a rise out of him. "Is too early." The boy slurred slightly, then rolled over onto his side, pulling up the blanket around him to become even more comfortable.

"My name is not Hana, idiot."

The image Kiba had formed of his annoyed yet smiling sister in his mind shattered as soon as that male voice broke through his head. With the reminder of who truly was around him, Kiba was brought back to his reality. A reality where he wasn't at home with his mother and sister. A reality where he was actually in the base of an organization filled with dangerous men.

One of which had apparently just poked him in the cheek.

Groggily, Kiba blinked his eyes to try and dispel some of the tiredness from his body. And when they finally focused on the man before him, he found that the pink haired being was crouching in front of it, looking at him with disinterest pouring out of seemingly every pore of his body.

"Can you hear the clicking still?"

And without allowing Kiba to fully register what was happening, the man raised his hand and began to move his fingers in a fashion similar to what Kankuro would do when controlling his puppets. Behind him, Kiba could hear soft clicking.

Slowly getting up from his spot on the floor- when had he gotten there?- the boy turned to look at the large puppet with his face scrunched up in confusion, not completely sure what he was supposed to do. But eventually it all came back to him and he was able to look at the man with wide eyes.

He wasn't all sure if he should answer honestly... But he didn't dare lie.

"Yeah..."

The man's glare was vicious, but it wasn't directed at the Inuzuka. Instead, Kiba turned his head to look in the direction the man was glaring, only to find that he was focused on the large Hiruko. And, oddly enough, it seemed as if the large puppet was looking back at the pink haired man with amusement.

... Maybe Kiba hadn't slept enough... He was beginning to think that _puppets_ could actually _emote_.

"Come on." The man suddenly growled out, breaking the silence that had fallen in the room, all the while motioning for Kiba to get up with a lazy hand motion. "You must be hungry."

The words might have seemed caring if they had come from any other person. But when they came from this man, they only seemed like a scientific observation, with no real emotion behind them.

And before Kiba could truly grasp the situation he found himself in _and_ what the man had said, he found the pink haired man forcing something from beneath Kiba. This caused the Inuzuka to move slightly to allow the fabric to slide out from under him, only to find that he had _slept_ on top of _Hiruko's coat_. When that had happened, he wasn't completely sure. And he began to rack his head to try and remember when he had taken the makeshift blanket and claimed it as his.

Then the man walked over to Hiruko, the dark fabric clutched in his hands. He didn't say anything and didn't even seem as if he were inclined to explain his actions. Instead, he seemed more than sure in what he was doing.

The Inuzuka cocked his head to the side slightly as he began to wonder just what the man could be doing, but his question was answered soon enough. It just happened to create even more questions once answered, though.

The man threw the large cloak he had just taken from Kiba a few seconds ago over Hiruko's large frame, then, _somehow_ , he _climbed into Hiruko_ and disappeared into the puppet's inner workings.

The clicking- although much fainter than the night before- began to fill the room as the large puppet began to move forward, towards the door that led into the room.

"Don't make me wait."

Kiba couldn't help but blink in confusion at the tone the man had adopted now that he was inside of Hiruko. It sounded exactly like the voice he had heard speaking to Deidara when he had awoken on the couch. It was deep and had a harsher intonation to it, which was odd when he compared it to the tone the man had used when _outside_ of the puppet.

Then the puppet swiftly turned to glare at Kiba, which had the boy moving as soon as it did so.

Even though he had been able to fall asleep the past night... He wasn't completely sure just _how_ he had managed to do so. This man was clearly insane. And he wasn't accustomed to falling asleep in places where he wasn't comfortable... He must've been much too tired to care about being around an insane man. Which _would_ make sense after the training Kisame had run him through.

The boy made his way towards Hiruko as fast as his sore legs would carry him- they hadn't hurt as much yesterday, right? Or maybe they had and Kisame had just made it worse...- but did his best to not look directly at the large puppet.

He had no idea just why anyone would _hide_ inside a puppet... And, quite frankly, he was feeling completely confused and kind of overwhelmed by the fact that this was a man that seemed at least a bit fixated on him. If he didn't care at all, he most probably wouldn't even have let Kiba live farther than the moment they met. But he must have been interested with something because Kiba was still alive.

Silent footsteps were the only sounds that filled the hallway. Kiba walked as quietly as he dared to go while Hiruko's large frame followed a bit behind him. He honestly had no idea how he was supposed to act around him. Especially after the odd night he had gone through.

Once more he was taken to the kitchen in this odd base, but this time there was no comfort to be gained from having Itachi around him. Instead he was now being led into it by a rather scary individual he wasn't completely sure if has all his screws on straight.

When he was beside the kitchen counter he had sat on the last night, Kiba looked around with wide eyes. He wasn't completely sure what he was to do now... Was he supposed to get his own food? Were there even any simple, ready to eat foods? Or would he have to cook himself something?

Luckily for him, the man began to speak just then, "I highly doubt you are qualified to cook yourself anything... You will eat whatever I give you."

The fact that he thought he couldn't make himself any food kind of annoyed Kiba, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he nodded softly and sat himself down on the same chair once more, resting his head on his arms to be able to rest for a little while.

The soft clatter of pans being picked up and placed back in their spot caught his attention, then Kiba could hear how the man moved around the kitchen with complete ease. Even though he was inside of a puppet, he seemed to be more than capable to maneuver himself without any trouble.

And this really caught Kiba's attention. Just what was the large puppet for? Clearly, the man inside was a very skilled puppeteer to be able to create such a complex and effective puppet. But the whole idea of it. Was it supposed to be some kind of armor?

Thinking on the possible uses for it, it made sense.

Kankuro always seemed to struggle whenever anyone came at him from close range because a puppeteer's preferred range was a long one. And if all other puppeteers were like that, then maybe this man had constructed a puppet armor to take away from the very big problem he faced in close range.

Of course, he had yet to see any of the defensive or offensive capabilities held by Hiruko, but if they were anything like Kankuro's own, then the puppet seemed to be one of the greatest creations a puppeteer could come up with.

Now that he thought about creator and creation, just why had Itachi told him only the puppet's name? Did he not know the man's real name?

It was odd to think that Hiruko was the only figure Kisame and Itachi knew... Did they even know there was a man inside the machine?

The smell of cooking eggs filled Kiba's nose, which made his stomach growl softly.

A small blush made its way onto his face at the very idea of showing such a sign of hunger to a man that didn't seem to take interest in anything. But he tried to push that small hint of embarrassment down to instead think of Hiruko and his creator.

Just why was the man so focused on getting rid of the clicking noises the puppet emitted? And, better yet, why did he insist on Kiba helping him?

In his own eyes, Kiba was just a snot-nosed runt when around men as dangerous as Kisame and Itachi. He didn't have any outstanding skills other than his augmented senses that allowed him to track objectives much easier, but that was it. There was nothing great about him. So why would this man insist on having him around and actually helping him?

"Here you go."

Kiba hadn't noticed just how much time he spent thinking until Hiruko placed a plate of two sunny-side-up eggs in front of him.

With wide eyes, Kiba looked down at the hastily cooked food that looked, oddly enough, near perfectly cooked. The whites were shiny and the yolk runny. And it looked rather delicious, making his mouth water.

"Uh... Got any utensils?" Kiba asked softly, almost scared of Hiruko striking out at him for asking such a dumb question.

But the man didn't lash out violently. Instead the large puppet moved to the cupboards, picked out a cup of water, and filled it up at the sink. "Just eat with your hands." He said without any real edge, then commented, "You seem like the wild kind: the kind that doesn't enjoy using utensils."

After he finished speaking, he turned around with the cup full of water and walked back towards Kiba, then placed it in front of the boy. As he did all this, Kiba stared at him, dumbfounded.

 _No one_ , not even his own clan, had ever allowed him to eat like he enjoyed. He liked to pick the food up with his hands and guzzle it down. He saw it as a waste of time to use some type of utensil that would then have to be cleaned. It was annoying and really not necessary. But propriety dictated that eating that way was wrong...

"O-Okay." Kiba blinked at the puppet, then ducked his head and began to pick at the egg with his fingers.

At first, he tried to be as neat about it and not create a mess. Then he actually got a taste of the food, keened at how surprisingly delicious it was, then began to eat like a savage. He picked off the egg whites first, then broke through the egg yolk and dipped some of the whites in, enjoying the combination of the flavors.

He finished eating in less than a minute.

"Thank you!" He smiled broadly once he finished eating the breakfast, looking up at Hiruko.

He jumped slightly at the fact that the puppet hadn't moved _an inch_ since he began to eat, but he tried to keep any bad ideas from entering his mind because of it.

The man had most probably just parked the puppet there while he rested or something... It wasn't like he had decided to _observe_ Kiba as he ate... Right?

Wordlessly, Hiruko picked the plate back up and moved it towards the sink, then returned to his spot before Kiba.

"You are to help me in my workshop starting tonight."

Kiba stared in complete shock at the growled out words.

"Do not bother to tell either of you guard dogs about it, they would be unnecessary and unwanted distractions." Now that he looked at Hiruko's eyes, Kiba noticed how _life-like_ they were. It was as if he truly were looking at a living, breathing human being. "Do not be late."

And with that final, growled out command, Hiruko walked off, not sparing Kiba any other look.

... Just what had happened?

Blinking in complete loss, Kiba tried to think back on everything that had happened.

He had walked out of Itachi's room because he couldn't sleep and had ended up in front of Hiruko's room. Then a giant, metal tail had appeared out of nowhere and dragged him into the room.

Quite frankly, it was everything that happened once he met the man inside Hiruko that he really began to doubt if those things had truly happened.

With a shake of his head, Kiba jumped down from the counter and made his way back to Itachi's room.

This whole situation was odd... At least no one seemed out to kill him.

But he wasn't all that sure if having an eccentric puppeteer interested in him was any better.

* * *

He had known Itachi would get pissed. But he had looked up and down through the whole base and hadn't found _trace_ of the missing kid. The only places he hadn't looked had been Hiruko and Deidara's workshops, knowing rather well that the kid would never be stupid enough to willingly enter either of those places.

Kisame had _tried_ to find Kiba, he really had. But he hadn't been able to find the kid and the clock was ticking.

If he hadn't told Itachi when he did, then the Uchiha would have found out in some other manner. Which would _suck even more_ for Kisame.

Right now he felt rather ashamed of his actions as he followed after a seething Itachi.

The thing about Itachi was that he didn't show his emotions easily. But anger was an emotion that was extremely easy to identify in even the most stone faced of people. His whole body was tense and Kisame could imagine his face tight and forcefully devoid of emotions. But his eyebrows would be just slightly pulled down, giving away how pissed he was.

"And he wasn't in the training grounds? Are you sure of this?" Itachi's voice was tight and tense, much like his body.

With a dejected sigh, Kisame scratched at the back of his head, then nodded, even though he knew Itachi wouldn't see it. "Yeah. Look, Itachi, I woke up and the kid wasn't there anymore. I checked _everywhere_. The bathrooms, the kitchen, the training room... Hell, I even stuck my head into the other member's rooms just in case. No carcasses to be found."

The growl that came from Itachi would have shocked others that didn't know him. But Kisame knew him so well that he wasn't even fazed by it.

"Of all the things, Kisame... You lose him on the _second_ day..." Then Itachi muttered some insults about Kisame being an incompetent idiot, but the shark nin merely ignored him.

Rather than pay attention to the insults, he began to wonder if he should buy some kind of leash to the kid down with. Onto Itachi's bed, of course. Even though he wasn't all that sure if Itachi would appreciate the image of a tied up Kiba sleeping...

With a smirk, Kisame began to think about how much the man _might_ appreciate the sight.

He had not doubt in his mind Itachi must have had some kind of kink. Even though the man seemed to be completely asexual, he had shown interest in Kiba. And sex was a natural step in a relationship...

How long would Itachi wait before stealing Kiba's virginity?

This thought both amused and freaked Kisame out, then he decided that it wouldn't do him any good to continue down that path. He _really_ didn't need to think of Kiba in those positions. The kid couldn't have been more than thirteen!

Wait, would that mean Itachi was a pedophile?

With a growl of frustration, Kisame did his best to dispel those thoughts.

Luckily for him, those thoughts were knocked out of his head by a sharp slap to his face. _Unluckily_ for him, Itachi had just sent a stinging slap straight to his face. One which _hurt_.

"Have your eyes checked."

A snarl began to bubble up in Kisame's chest as he began to think of a retort to such a sentence coming from _Itachi_ of all people, but it died down as soon as he noticed what Itachi had been looking at.

Kiba. On Itachi's bed. Sleeping with a small smile on his face, a content Akamaru held in his hands.

"Wait a minute, he wasn't there when-" Kisame tried to defend himself, but shut up when Itachi leveled him with a 'speak and suffer' glare.

Taking one step back, Kisame allowed the unamused man to leave and go back from the way they had come from. Then he peeked inside the room to make sure that what he was seeing was real.

Then he began to wonder if it was genjutsu. But it wasn't because even when he performed the ritual to dispel the genjutsu, Kiba still lay on the bed with that infuriating smile on his face.

"Damn kid..." Kisame grumbled as he glared at the sleeping kid, "You made me look bad on purpose, didn't you?"

But there was no answer and Kiba instead brought Akamaru closer to him, snuggling closer to the dog. And Akamaru, in turn, moved so he rested closer to Kiba.

Kisame, grudgingly, admitted they looked rather cute.

With a string of grumbled and annoyed complaints tumbling from his lips, Kisame shook his head and turned around, heading in the direction of the kitchen.

He needed some coffee to deal with this shit.


	21. Disrupted Routine

When Itachi finally came to talk to him, it was after training with Kisame on the day after having met Hiruko's odd creator.

Kiba had been huffing and puffing after Kisame had worked him over even harder than the past day- which Kiba couldn't really understand because Akamaru had broken _nothing_ this time around- and had been laying with his back on the stone floor beneath him when a dark shadow fell over his face.

At first, he had expected to find Kisame ready to force him into yet another kind of exercise for whatever reason he had thought worthy of punishing. But a second later the comforting scent he had come to readily enjoy hit his nose and he found himself smiling and opening his eyes.

When he looked up, he found Itachi's long body standing right in front of his face, the man's own face in its usual neutral state, dark eyes looking down at Kiba's own.

"Itachi! What's up?" Kiba asked with a broad smile, somehow feeling his body reinvigorated by just seeing and being around the man.

In retrospect, it should really worry him that he felt so good whenever he was around Itachi, but he couldn't truly bring himself to think on that. Itachi made him feel safe. And he relished in that feeling.

The man's eyes softened as he allowed a small smile to grace his lips, then he crouched on the balls of his feet, hands moving so they were beneath Kiba's shoulders. "Not you." He stated and managed to catch Kiba completely off guard.

Blinking, Kiba couldn't help but let his body be lifted up by Itachi without any complaint or question. Had... Had Itachi just made some kind of joke?... It was weak and not even all that funny, but the effort was still there!

Itachi pushed him up so was sitting, then sat down beside Kiba. Their shoulders brushed softly as Itachi sat and Kiba couldn't help but wish Itachi would wrap his arm around him. Which was an odd thought... One he immediately tried to shake off as he brought his legs up and crossed them one over the other, then leaned his palms against them and looked Itachi with his face pulled in.

"You... Can't be Itachi."

The man's eyes widened marginally at the accusation that came from the younger male, then quirked an eyebrow, "Why would you say that, Kiba?"

The tattooed boy frowned softly, then shook his head, "Because the Itachi I know would _never_ try to crack a joke! Especially one that's so lame!"

Kiba looked at Itachi in surprise, though, as the man let loose a short and deep laugh, one that rumbled from deep within his chest. And this wasn't some kind of faked laugh or even a sadistic one, like one someone would probably expect from a criminal. No, it was a genuine laugh that Kiba could tell came from actually being amused with what Kiba had just said.

"I had no idea you would react so drastically to my trying to make a joke, Kiba." Itachi said with a smile, his laughter softening as he did so.

Quite frankly, the only thing Kiba could do was stare at Itachi. He had no idea in which other way he could truly react.

The man seemed so... _Loose_... It was weird. Itachi was always tense and guarded. Just why he was being so free today?

"Admittedly, Kiba, I must take this time to speak seriously with you." With these words, the soft smile morphed back into a tight line, making Itachi look serious once more. "Hiruko and Deidara are both out of the base for the moment, as are our leader and his little lackeys. Which means this is the perfect time to answer any and all questions you might have that would be best to not be overheard by others."

The sudden change of mood in the room took Kiba for as much as surprise as Itachi's pleasant demeanor had. But, admittedly, he was relieved a bit to hear he'd finally be able to ask Itachi all of the things he'd wanted to before.

And while he was burning with a dozen different questions, Kiba knew he couldn't just bombard the man with them all. Instead he'd have to go one by one and ensure they were all answered with full honesty from the dark haired man.

Immediately knowing which one was the first question he wanted answered, Kiba jumped at the chance to ask it.

"How dangerous are you?"

Itachi's dark eyes looked at Kiba's own without hesitating. But Kiba become more self-conscious the more Itachi continued to look at him before he looked away and ducked his head.

"I mean... Kurenai Sensei, Asuma, and Kakashi were all sent after me and I can only assume it's because they knew that it was you and Kisame with me..." He stumbled as he explained the question, "And for them to know it was you two without Shino and Hinata really knowing who you are- only knowing your physical descriptions... I mean... Unless you're in the Bingo Book..." And he drifted off then.

Kiba had thought a lot about this. About who Kisame and Itachi must be if they were considered to be dangerous enough to send three jonin to chase after them. And the only thing he could truly come up with was that they appeared in the Bingo Book with a high bounty on their heads.

Itachi remained silent for a while before answering.

"I am _extremely_ dangerous." His voice was serious and completely honest, making Kiba looking up at him in surprise at the answer. "I was one of Konoha's greatest shinobi before I left. And when I did, I left nothing but ruin in my wake."

A tense silence fell over them as Kiba waited for some kind further explanation from the man, but received none. And when he noticed Itachi wasn't going to say any more, he got up onto his knees and looked him directly in the eyes with his own narrowed.

"Itachi... Why did you leave?"

His voice was worried and quivered just slightly. Kiba could feel himself completely fearing the answer Itachi would give him.

Would he admit to being a psychopathic killer? Would he tell him that he defected because he didn't enjoy any of the rules enforced by being a shinobi? Would this kind man that had nursed him back to health with a detached yet caring attitude tell him he was pure evil?

The man looked Kiba directly in the eyes, steady and cool, then answered, "Because I had no other choice."

That simple sentence held so much depth in it... It held secrets and unexplained reasoning. Underneath that, there was pain. A type of melancholy that made itself known only minutely.

But Kiba wasn't sure if he was prepared to ask about the hidden meaning... Much less hear the answer he'd receive.

Slowly, he bowed his head in thought. He wanted to know just _who_ Itachi was. What his last name was, who his family was. He knew who _Kiba_ was, after all. It would only be fair for Kiba to know, right?

But a voice in him told him that he wasn't prepared for the answer. Not yet. And that Itachi wasn't quite ready to give it.

So he decided to move on to another question, one that would- hopefully- not receive as serious an answer as the last one had.

"Why..." His throat had become tight without him noticing it. So Kiba cleared his throat before he tried once more, raising his head slightly to glance at Itachi before bowing once more. "Why does your headband have a gash across the village symbol?"

He didn't dare raise his eyes. He was afraid of having Itachi become angry with him. The questions he was asking were most probably not the kind Itachi had wanted to hear, the kind that were dangerous to ask. But he was curious... He wanted to _know_ these things. He wanted to know who he was around. He wanted to know how dangerous they were, no matter how kind or weird they proved to be.

No matter how _human_ they proved to be.

Imagine his surprise when he felt Itachi's hand cup his jaw and gently tug him upwards to look into the man's dark eyes.

~/~

Itachi had entered the training grounds with his resolve steeled. After that morning's scare, he didn't want to run the risk of Kiba truly running away.

The panic that had filled him had made Itachi want to hug Kiba close to him and send Kisame into a world of pain simultaneously. But he had refrained himself from it because he knew it would do no good and instead had opted to just smack Kisame across the face for being an idiot.

If he had wanted to be funny, then the shark nin should have resorted to another kind of prank. Not one that made Itachi's heart clench so horribly.

But after he had returned to his room, Itachi had begun to think about what he had done to truly keep Kiba from wanting to flee. Aside from making him food two nights ago, he'd done nothing. Kisame had begun to teach him how to fight, which meant Kiba most probably saw Kisame as the best of them both. And this thought did not sit well with Itachi.

He knew that he wanted to get closer to the Inuzuka. But he also knew that he couldn't do that without seeming completely out of character to the other members of the organization.

He was aware, though, that if he allowed Kisame to spend more time with the boy, he'd undoubtedly grow ostracized from him.

And Itachi could not let this happen.

So what could be the first thing he could do to further gain Kiba's faith in him? He could tell the boy the truth about the situation he was currently in. He could finally answer any and all questions Kiba had burning in his head.

Oh, he knew the boy would undoubtedly want to know about his defection and why the Hokage would send such capable ninjas to retrieve Kiba- this was just a _genin_ , after all, no sane Kage would send three great jonin to get him back unless he or she believed there was something more going on. And Itachi would try his best to answer with complete honesty while keeping a composed manner.

... He tried his best. And he seemed to have done a good job of it. He just had not expected the kid to ask it straight away.

In all honesty, he had thought Kiba would begin with asking about Kisame or their organization. So he had been slightly caught off guard with the Inuzuka immediately asking about Itachi and his own decisions.

And now he was cupping the boy's chin, hoping that he hadn't scared him away with his past answers.

"Kiba? May I ask you something?" Itachi asked as he observed the boy's face go from deeply bothered to confused.

Quite frankly, Itachi's favorite 'Kiba expression' must have been confusion. His lips would purse slightly as his eyebrows knitted and his eyes narrowed just slightly, looking as if he were trying his best to put together pieces that didn't quite fit of a puzzle. He allowed himself to relish how cute it truly was whenever it was around.

Although this time, he didn't relish it as much.

"If you were to find out the horrible truths about me, would you break our deal?" After he asked this, Itachi breathed in for a second, then continued, placing further pressure on the young boy. "If you were to hear atrocities that I had committed with my hand, would you go back on your promise? Would you break your word?"

He knew this was playing dirty. He knew that an Inuzuka was loyal and prideful to a fault and they would never willingly break their word. And he was more than aware that by giving so much gravity to his words, Kiba would find himself unable to leave.

But, dammit! He deserved something good in his life! And Kiba was what he wanted most in his life aside of seeing Sasuke grow to be the strong man he knew he could be.

Kiba's eyes widened at what was asked of him, and Itachi could see a hint of fear melt into those dark orbs, then the boy asked, "Itachi? Are you trying to scare me?"

But Itachi's hold on the boy's chin never faltered, nor did the rest of his body or his voice. "Not at all. I want you to be honest with me, Kiba."

When Kiba closed his eyes, Itachi felt his heartbeat begin to speed up out of fear of Kiba wishing to leave him. But when the dark eyes opened once more, they were filled with determination and the fear had been pushed to the very edge of them.

"I am an Inuzuka. And we _never_ go back on our word."

The boy's face had lost any hint of confusion. Instead it had drawn in with determination and Kiba's lips were turned slightly into a soft frown. The boy had done all this, Itachi noted, to make himself seem completely serious. To have Itachi know he was being completely honest.

"You may tell me you plan on killing me after you've finished using me as a tracker and I still wouldn't abandon my word." His voice was heavy and serious, with a severity Itachi did not believe fit with Kiba's young voice, "I gave you my word when you saved me and my friends from that group of bastards. And- believe me when I say this Itachi- _nothing_ you do would ever hurt me as much as those _brutes_ did."

By the end of his strong words, the boy's voice faltered slightly and his eyes filled with sadness and fear. But this time around, it wasn't because of Itachi. Those emotions came from remembering what he had been put through before Itachi and Kisame had come around to save him and his team.

Biting his lip, the boy looked away from Itachi for one second before looking back with wide eyes. "Itachi... Can you... Can you promise me you won't hurt me?"

The amount of hope and trust in those eyes was overwhelming. Itachi's heart clenched once more as Kiba laid his soul bare for him, then he brought his arms up and around the younger male.

Kiba was taken aback by the sudden hug, but didn't fight it. Instead the boy only wrapped his own arms around the bigger male and closed his eyes, leaning in completely into the touch.

Itachi's heart warmed at being trusted so openly, then answered the boy's initial question. "Our headbands have gashes across them because we do not identify ourselves as part of them anymore. Instead, we openly defy those that hurt us. Each and every one of us has a reason why we left our respective village, Kiba." And he squeezed the boy tighter now, remembering why he had left his own. "But that does not mean we are inherently evil."

Hugging Kiba was almost therapeutic.

He knew it was selfish to dig Kiba deeper into his life... But he was surrounded by nothing but darkness... At least, he had been until Kiba appeared like a dim and dull ray of light. And he wanted to fix Kiba as best he could, to get that light as bright as he knew it could be.

"Kiba, how proficient are you at genjutsu?"

From the way Kiba's body stiffened then relaxed, Itachi knew he had caught the boy off guard. Which meant he had done just what he had hoped.

"Uh... Not very good at it..." Kiba mumbled in confusion, then leaned back slightly, although he kept his arms around Itachi, to look the man in the eyes. "Why do you ask, Itachi?"

Itachi was more than aware that he had yet to answer all of Kiba's questions. But he knew for a fact that Deidara would be returning any minute now and he couldn't afford to be caught in such an intimate state by the blonde. So, instead of continuing their talk, Itachi decided to veer it off to a much less serious topic.

Allowing a small smile to find its way onto his face once more, Itachi closed his eyes and rejoiced in the feeling of Kiba being in his arms. It just felt _right_ to have the younger male right there, with his arms protecting him.

"Because Kisame is already training you in a new fighting style. I was wondering if you would like to improve your skills in your genjutsu with my assistance?" He asked, then opened his eyes to find Kiba looking at him with pursed lips.

"I really want to agree, Itachi..." The boy began warily, "But I'm seriously terrified of you being a slave driver like Dumb Shark."

The nickname made Itachi quirk an eyebrow, "Dumb Shark?" He repeated curiously, finding the mood slowly lightening as he allowed Kiba to forget about the past question.

With his cheeks reddening, Kiba buried his face into Itachi's chest and shook his head, "Please don't tell Kisame! That's the nickname Akamaru has for him."

After he said this, the boy refused to look back at Itachi. But the male could only smile in amusement at the other's reactions. Then, he thought of something.

"Wait a minute... If Akamaru has a nickname for Kisame, then does he have one for me?"

Kiba groaned dramatically, shaking his head, then warned, "You _really_ don't want to know."

Huh... He had known the dog was intelligent. But he had never expected _creative_ nicknames to be something Akamaru would spend time on.

"I will take your word on it, Kiba." Itachi relented, then asked, "Now, would you like to begin on your training?"

The boy jumped at the chance to change the topic of the conversation and Itachi was more than eager to help him do that. It was only as he began to recite the basics of genjutsu that Itachi found himself wondering if Kiba had even noticed he hadn't answered the most important question he had asked.

... Unfortunately, Itachi wasn't completely confident in himself to _not_ hurt Kiba. So he couldn't promise to not do so.

But he would try his best to not hurt the young Inuzuka.

* * *

Admittedly, falling into a new routine wasn't all that difficult after Kiba just allowed himself to go with the flow.

His mornings began with Kisame forcing him and Akamaru to wake up. The shark nin would growl and threaten and try to seem as dangerous and aggressive as possible, while Akamaru and Kiba woke slowly and groggily. During the first few days, Kiba had jumped immediately, ignoring how tired he truly was. But after training filled days and long nights in Hiruko's workshop, he had become much more sluggish and less eager to please. Now it was a miracle he even managed to drag his exhausted body out of bed, even with Kisame threatening to kick his ass all over the base if he didn't hurry up and get his breakfast.

After Kiba didn't get up in the time Kisame wanted him to, the shark nin would grab his sluggish body from the bed and throw it over his shoulder, receiving disgruntled barks from Akamaru, even though Kiba would only close his eyes and doze off once more as he was carried away by the large man.

The following hour would then be spent with the young Inuzuka trying his best to remain asleep, all the while Kisame did his best to wake the little bastard up. During this time, breakfast would be made and eaten, Kisame would grow frustrated enough to threaten with bodily harm, Kiba would eventually wake up, and Akamaru would find complete amusement in Dumb Shark's very obvious annoyance.

And once Kiba was finally awake enough to move on his own, both males would get dressed and then walked towards the training grounds, where Kiba was taught how to handle the tantō for the next few hours.

Once lunch time rolled around, Kiba would be bone tired and dead on his feet. He'd fall to the floor and begin to try and nap, even though his stomach would tell him it needed some kind of of sustenance or it would revolt, which would then make Kiba growl in frustration because he wanted to _rest_ but knew he would eventually be stuck having to eat if he didn't want his stomach to bother him.

Every single time his stomach would growl so loudly he thought anyone would think there was a beast in the training ground's with him, Itachi would appear with a hot plate of whatever wonderful delicacy he had decided to cook up and hand it over to the extremely grateful boy and pup, seeing how Akamaru usually wound up as tired and hungry as his master. Kiba and his dog would then scarf the food down gratefully and hungrily. And after all the food had gone, the small dog would run, jump, and glare at Itachi as he gave Kiba lessons on how to improve his genjutsu techniques.

And because he was so bad at it and barely ever improved, these lessons would go on until dinner time. Whenever he failed at creating a believable illusion, he felt like he was failing not just himself, but also Itachi- who happened to be a very patient and accepting teacher, unlike Kisame, who would growl and yell at Kiba whenever he messed up. Well... Even though he wasn't all that good at his old sensei's forté, Itachi was spending time with him. And Kiba fully enjoyed any time spent with the long haired man.

Once Itachi had called it a day, he, Kiba, and Akamaru would move towards the kitchen, where Itachi would make dinner for them both. They would eat with complete gusto, and afterwards, they would meet with Kisame once more and say their goodnight to Itachi. Then Kiba would bathe, get dressed in the pajamas that had been bought for him, and he'd fall asleep.

Unfortunately for him, that is not where his tiring and activity filled day ended.

The boy would feign falling asleep for a good hour until he was sure that both Kisame and Akamaru were asleep, then he'd sneak out of the room as quietly as possible and head back to Hiruko's workshop. He'd stopped wondering if the man's name really was Hiruko days ago. That was the only name he knew, so that was what he would call him. In there he would help the odd man work on whatever creation he wanted to work on at the moment, seeing how the man had grown frustrated with trying to fix Hiruko itself after the third night together.

Sometimes, the man would ask Kiba about who he was, where he came from, his favorite things, the basics. At others, he'd try and get Kiba to tell him how he had wound up here. But Kiba had never answered and would never. He wasn't about to let _anyone_ know about what had happened to him before he had ended up in this base. He _refused_ to even _acknowledge_ that chapter in his life.

Kiba learned a lot about puppets and the art of puppeteering during those nights with Hiruko. Like how this was a skill that wasn't really looked upon with favor because of its clear defensive disadvantage when it came to fighting hand to hand. But there were intricacies that were unique to each and every puppet, like how some have creators that think purely on poisons and fire power- much like Kankuro- while others spend more time in making their wood and limbs strong to keep them from shattering.

Actually, he had become so interested in puppets ever since Hiruko had forced him to work with him every night that he had even asked if the man would be willing to teach him how to use them.

He was working on his sword skills with Kisame during the mornings and on his genjutsu during the afternoons... How much would learning chakra control and how to use puppets really hurt?

After the first time his fingers were singed by having too much unstable chakra build up in them, Kiba figured it wouldn't be any walk in the park. But Hiruko took the paper of teacher seriously and forced Kiba to analyze his every mistake until he would never be able to commit it again. It didn't happen as fast as the man would have liked, but eventually Kiba was able to make one stable chakra thread _without_ hurting himself.

When he was busy on the assignment Hiruko had given him, Kiba would notice that the man would switch between working on his newest puppet- because it always seemed as if he had a new one each night Kiba went to his workshop- and scolding Kiba for improper stance or not paying the correct amount of attention. It didn't matter if Kiba was working on a simple task like painting or fixing the screws on one of Hiruko's puppets or if he was trying to mold threads of chakra or even meditate, Hiruko would always scold him if he so much as breathed out of place.

It was rather interesting, though, to be subjected to three different kinds of teaching methods. Kisame was aggressive and hated failure, punishing it violently by making Kiba run laps or forcing him to spar. Itachi, on the other hand, always kept a cool head and rolled with Kiba's failures, giving pointers to fix it but not growing frustrated when Kiba committed them. And Hiruko... Well, he didn't accept failure. He refused to. And he'd glare at Kiba so disapprovingly that the young Inuzuka would feel ashamed for being so incompetent as to fail at his given task.

But, out of the three... Itachi was his favorite. He fed him and Akamaru, allowed small spaces of time to rest, and would never raise his voice at Kiba. The other two were not above shouting if it managed to get the message through Kiba's skull.

As he worked on whatever he had been assigned, Kiba would always feel sleep call to him. And he always fell asleep without noticing it, leaving his work unfinished. But Hiruko seemed to not be bothered by this because the man never scolded Kiba on it, unlike his other shortcomings.

When he came to in the morning, he would always wake up in the room he shared with Kisame, tucked into the sheets on Itachi's bed with Akamaru curled into his side. In the beginning, he had wondered if he should be worried that Hiruko took such care in settling him to bed, but he stopped asking himself this after a while. Hiruko was a much more detached person than Itachi. But he had shown no signs of wanting anything more out of Kiba than just an extra set of hands and sometimes student. Besides... It was better than waking up on the floor.

The morning when this routine was disrupted started off normally.

Kiba had been put to bed after managing to make two stable chakra threads, even though he hadn't been able to anchor them to anything, by Hiruko. And Kisame tried to wake him up way too early in the morning, which made the tired boy groan and refuse to get up. Then he had been carried off by the shark nin and forced to sit on the chair by the kitchen counter, with Akamaru lazily barking at Kisame to get his ugly paws off him. Then he had eaten breakfast, gotten dressed, and gone to train with the blue skinned man like normal.

It was while he went through a set of kata with Kisame glaring at him, hidden promises of much pain if he messed up radiating from those eyes, that the routine was disrupted.

"Kisame."

The woman's scent had wafted in and been noticed by Kiba before she had spoken up. But he had not allowed himself to falter until Kisame turned to look at the newest occupant of the training grounds, a woman with purple hair, amber eyes, and a piercing below her lower lip. Her whole body was hidden by the cloak Kiba had come to identify as the standard attire for every adult in this base.

"Konan." Kisame greeted as he squared his shoulders and turned around, which allowed Kiba to stop in his repetition of motions and let go of the swords in his hands.

The boy heard Kisame growl when he allowed himself to fall to his knees, but he couldn't really care. The teen panted as he was finally allowed a moment of rest, then he looked up to see that Kisame had yet to turn back to him.

Just who was this Konan? She must have been important if Kisame hadn't immediately turned around and scolded him for giving up.

"The leader has a mission for you and your partner." The woman spoke calmly and almost monotonously, which made Kiba begin to wonder if that was a requirement to join this organization.

Seriously, either one had to be devoid of emotions like Itachi and Hiruko to be a part of it, or boiling with them like Kisame. Was there no middle ground? No normal person around?

"Alright." Kisame grunted, "Anything else? You don't show your face for something so frivolous."

The woman didn't react at the man's words and instead looked at the boy panting on the floor. Her eyes scanned his form for a few seconds before she turned back to Kisame.

"There is also an assignment for your little student."

"Huh?"

Both Kiba and Kisame were caught off guard by this little bit, but the woman seemed to have no problem explaining herself. "You have been assigned with Itachi, Kisame, and you are to hear of your assignment from our leader himself. And the young boy, Kiba, has been given another assignment. One that requires his tracking skills."

Kisame was stunned for a second, then he was frowning at the woman and moving towards her, "What do you mean? Why is the kid being sent on something different?"

From the way he growled, Kiba could tell Kisame was pissed. But he wouldn't have guessed it by just looking at the woman's reaction. Or, actually, _lack_ of one.

"Because the one you and Itachi must go one does not require a tracker. But the one that is to be given to Hidan and Kakuzu when they return does require one, hence why he will be sent with them and not you."

"The hell?" Kisame asked in anger, baring his sharp teeth as he glared at the woman. "Why would you take the kid away from Itachi and I? We're the only ones in the organization that should work with him!"

Konan's gaze remained steady as she looked up at the man, though, clearly not fazed by his emotions. "If he is to be a part of the organization, as you demanded in our past meeting, then he should grow accustomed to having to work with more than just you and Itachi."

"I'm not letting that happen!" Kisame shouted with a sneer, only to have the woman shake her head softly.

"If you have a problem, please take it up with our leader. Now, if you'll excuse me." The woman then stepped around Kisame and began to walk towards Kiba, her face emotionless yet calm.

Kiba could only look at the woman in curiosity and wonder as she got closer to him, then sat up when she crouched a few feet in front of him.

"You are Kiba Inuzuka, correct?" She asked, receiving a mute nod from the boy. "My name is Konan. Would you like some lunch?"

When Kiba looked towards Kisame to see how he should react, he found that the large man had already left the room, presumably to hunt down the leader Konan had directed him to. Without the man around to lead him, Kiba struggled for an answer before nodding without a word once more, unsure what he was supposed to do around this woman.

He had been told to stay away from Hidan, Deidara, and Zetsu. But he had heard nothing about a Konan.

The woman's eyes closed lightly and she cocked her head slightly to the side, a small smile finding its way onto her stoic face. "Then let's get going. I will make you some food." And once she had said this, the woman straightened up and offered Kiba her hand, which he took with slight hesitation.

She pulled him up without any problem and, soon enough, Kiba found himself following after her down the halls of the base, a just as curious Akamaru following at their heels.

"Does Kisame always run you so ragged?" The woman asked conversationally as they walked, which made Kiba chuckle nervously before answering.

"Yeah... Every day." He stated honestly, then looked down at Akamaru.

The pup barked his approval of the woman, which made Kiba roll his eyes. Apparently Paper Scent had now become Akamaru's favorite adult they'd been around, simply because she had offered them food.


	22. Trustworthy

Kiba had yet to meet anyone in this organization that wholly reminded him of any of his friends or family. And up until now, he had only truly met four people: Itachi, Kisame, Hiruko, and Konan. He didn't count Deidara in this small analysis because he hadn't truly gotten to know the man.

Kisame was crude, rude, yet there was no doubt in Kiba's mind that the man cared, at least a little bit. If he didn't care, the man wouldn't have stormed off to face his leader as soon as Konan had put the idea in his head. With his reluctance to admit to caring about Kiba and the way he carried himself- animalistic and crass- Kiba could make a slight connection with his mother, but that was really only by a long shot.

Hiruko, on the other hand, had at first made Kiba think of Kankuro. What, with his use of puppets and seemingly cold attitude, it had only been natural for the young Inuzuka to make the comparison. But as time had gone on, he had found that the older puppeteer was a quiet yet intense individual that didn't care for conversation. On the contrary, Kankuro enjoyed filling up spaces with his own chatter, even if it was to insult anybody near him.

Itachi was... Well, he kind of looked like Sasuke, the more Kiba looked at him. But even though both ravens were quiet and strong, Itachi was nothing like the Uchiha. He never whined and never seemed to think of himself as greater than the rest around him. He was down to earth and level headed. A direct contrast from the hot headed Uchiha that had decided to abandon his village just to join Orochimaru's forces.

And, finally, Kiba thought of the woman he had just recently met. Konan.

Purple haired, amber eyed, and pierced right below the lip Konan. This woman was quiet, like Itachi, but she wasn't intimidating like him or Hiruko. Instead, she smelled of a mix of flowers, paper, blood, and, oddly enough, freshly baked cookies. The scent alone was inviting and comforting, a rather big contrast to the men Kiba had been surrounded by. For, even though they had all proved to be individuals he could trust, they all smelled of death, blood, and decay. With their own unique signatures to their scent, of course, but those three smells were the constant in this base.

Konan didn't smell like decay. Just death and blood. If that could make any sense.

And she smiled.

Kisame would smile too, but it was usually a vicious smile with hidden or dangerous intentions. Itachi would smile as well with mounting frequency, but he had been guarded at the beginning and, even now, still seemed to think and hesitate before giving Kiba an honest smile- the kind that took Kiba's breath away and left the boy smiling back. And Hiruko had yet to show any emotions with his face. He didn't seem as if he were even capable of showing any in Kiba's mind.

But Konan, who at first seemed to be just as stoic as Hiruko and Itachi, had proved to be much more earnest and open with her emotions. She did not wear them on her sleeve like Kiba and his friends seemed to do, but didn't shirk from smiling when Kiba said something that amused her. And she also didn't allow her emotions to take control of her like Kisame did, instead keeping a balance between showing what she felt and keeping a lid on it.

Of the women he had come to meet in his life, Konan reminded Kiba most of his Sensei, Kurenai. But it was only on the whole 'show emotion, don't let it control' thing. Apart from that, Konan was her own person.

From all of the pain that had come from being caught by those bastards... At least Kiba could say he had met an interesting group of shinobi because of the failed mission.

"Do you do this much?"

Kiba blinked at the question that broke through his thoughts, then looked up to find that Konan was looking at him with curiosity shining in her kind eyes.

Kind eyes... Not something one would think to find in a missing nin.

"Do what much?" The Inuzuka asked, then looked down at Akamaru as the dog barked at him, telling him how he had just shut up and begun to think after they had finished their past conversation about how Kiba had wound up in the base with Kisame and Itachi.

"Begin to think so deeply." Konan elaborated as she moved to sit beside him and Akamaru, then moved to place a hand on the young male's shoulder.

Kiba flinched as soon as the woman raised her hand, mind flashing back to a state he would much rather never return to.

Konan noticed this and dropped the hand, face returning to its blank slate. This made the Inuzuka begin to feel like a complete jerk, but, soon enough, the woman was asking him about something else.

"Would you like to speak with the leader? I believe he is still in the meeting with Itachi and Kisame."

Admittedly, this caught Kiba slightly off guard.

Why would Konan be offering to take him to speak with the head of this organization? Especially if he was still in a meeting with Kisame and Itachi, who would clearly not be pleased with Kiba being sent on a mission by himself?

Konan, apparently being able to deduce Kiba's internal questions, continued, "Okay, how about a better question? Would you really mind going on a mission without Kisame and Itachi? It is a mere tracking mission. You are not supposed to be caught in any combat."

This was the first time Kiba heard any specifics to the mission he was supposed to be going on. The past conversation with Konan had just revolved around Kiba omitting just about everything from his time in captivity and telling Konan that he had just struck a deal to survive with Itachi and Kisame. But he had yet to hear just about anything about the mission without the two constants in his life.

"Uh… Konan?" The boy asked tentatively, raising his eyes slightly to look up at her. "Could you tell me just what my mission is?"

The woman's eyes surveyed him for a moment before she nodded curtly, "Of course." Then she moved so her hands clasped one another on the kitchen counter, moving her body so she was completely facing forward. "Hidan and Kakuzu are to arrive in an hour or so. When they get here, they shall report to our leader, then they will be briefed on the newest bounty they are to cash in."

Kiba noted that the woman spoke in a wholly business like tone, her demeanor changing from comforting and relaxed to straight with her shoulders squared.

"This bounty is that of apprehending and terminating a rogue Mist nin with an affinity of disappearing into any kind of smoke haze or liquid, only to then reappear and decapitate his opponents. The reason why Kakuzu and Hidan are being sent is because both of their abilities render most of the nin's attacks ineffective." The woman rattled off, then turned to Kiba. "They both have rare abilities that make them nearly immortal. We like to call them the Zombie Combo."

The name and their abilities confused Kiba. Zombie Combo? Nearly immortal? That sounded completely far fetched, even with the amazing skill levels the ninja around him had shown.

"Well, Hidan is immortal." She corrected herself, "And a bit of a religious fanatic. But as long as you don't insult his religion and actually act interested in it, I don't think he'll do anything to you."

Kiba grasped onto this knowledge immediately. Hidan was one of the men Itachi had warned him of. But if he could get Konan to tell him about both the men he'd be on the mission with, then maybe he wouldn't have to worry about the- seemingly- insane man.

"What religion is it, Konan?" Kiba inquired, leaning forward in his chair slightly in his eagerness to hear.

Konan looked towards him for a second before smiling softly and responding in earnest, "He calls it Jashinism. He calls his god Lord Jashin. And he's always spouting off about how Lord Jashin is great and how all heretics will meet his blade."

The information caused Kiba to flinch internally. He had never been all that big on religion. It just wasn't a big part of life in Konoha. If this man really was that big on religion, then there will be a rather large berth between them both. And this berth might mean injury falling upon Kiba by his hand.

"But… Kiba… Have you ever noticed that women are seemingly able to manipulate men?" Konan asked, a sly tone falling into her voice as she did so.

Akamaru barked as soon as he heard the question, nodding eagerly. The pup had noticed this about the human species and had always been rather curious about this oddity. To him, it had always seemed interesting how men would listen to whatever women said and fell to their whims at the drop of a hot.

"Well… I wouldn't say manipulate…" Kiba answered softly, pursing his lips in thought.

He could then remember his sister and some of the boyfriends she had brought to the house. She would always command them to do something or another, and they would always do the things asked of them without any complaint. He had always wondered just what it was that made his sister so great, but had never dared to openly do so. His sister could be just as scary as his mother if given the situation.

"But you have noticed it?" Konan asked, receiving a nod from the boy. This made her smile broaden marginally, then she continued. "I will tell you of a small trick utilized by women everywhere to bring men down a couple of notches. And believe me when I say it will be a great tool for you to use when in the company of people like Hidan, Kakuzu, and Kisame."

The words and advice that then came out of Konan shocked Kiba greatly... But he took it all to heart. Everything she was saying made so much sense. And it could be applied to everything.

By the end of the conversation, the woman said, "And the best way to stay on the leader's good side is to never question or cross him. Instead, agree with him. Make him feel that what he is doing is correct. He will like you then."

Both Kiba and Akamaru nodded eagerly at this last bit of advice, then Kiba asked, "But... What if he doesn't like me?"

The questioned made Konan smile broadly, and Kiba saw how her arm twitched to raise, but stayed down. She wasn't going to try to touch him again.

"Believe me, Kiba... Just be your normal charming self and you will be fine." With these final words, the woman stood up from her seat and motioned for the boy to follow, "Now, why don't we head on over and interrupt that meeting? You don't want Itachi and Kisame getting in trouble, right?"

Kiba followed without much complaint. Although Akamaru grouched behind him about wanting to see Dumb Shark skinned.

* * *

Itachi couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You and Kisame are to leave come dawn. It is imperative you intercept that scroll and do not allow the diplomats to reach the Land of Water. We must not allow Konoha to grow any nearer to them. Your little pup, Kisame, will be sent with Hidan and Kakuzu on their latest bounty. It is a Rogue Mist ninja that has the ability to disappear and reappear in less than a second. If he really is as great a tracker as you insist he is, then he will be an invaluable asset on the hunt."

Their leader's voice was dark and held no room for argument. But Itachi could not and would not allow something like this to happen.

There was no way in any life, any world, any existence that Itachi would allow his Kiba to go off on a dangerous mission tracking down a more than capable missing nin with Hidan and Kakuzu of all people.

"There's no way in hell that's happening."

Fortunately for him, Kisame was just as opposed to the idea as he was.

"Excuse me?"

Kisame took a step forward, closer to the shadowed man's desk, with a dangerous sneer marring his face, low growl rumbling in his chest.

"You heard me, leader." Kisame spit the word out with disdain, eyes narrowed on the man. "Kiba isn't older than thirteen. He may be a great tracker, one of the best around, but he is not prepared for a mission with such high stakes!"

Itachi wondered internally if Kisame actually believed that Kiba was as good a tracker as he told their leader he was. From the small sample they had been given of his skills, the boy wasn't bad. He had managed to sniff them out even as they hid in the trees surrounding the mercenaries camp site. And while this wasn't enough to believe Kiba was amazing, it at least let both Itachi and Kisame know he was a natural tracker.

"Kisame, you brought that boy into our organization's base with the promise that he would be the organization's tracker. You said nothing about his services being reserved exclusively for you two."

Anger and possessiveness flared in Itachi's chest as the leader's almost bored sounding voice bit back at Kisame, clearly using the man's past words against him.

When they had first arrived with Akamaru and Kiba in tow, Itachi had allowed Kisame to take over talking. He had been worried that if he spoke up, the secretive man would easily catch on to his feelings for the Inuzuka and then use them against him. So he had remained quiet and detached from the situation, just letting Kisame say whatever he thought he needed to say to convince the man to not kill Kiba because of the security risk he could undoubtedly be.

One of the biggest points Kisame had brought up was that this boy from the Hidden Leaf Village might know Naruto, the container of the Nine Tailed Fox they sought after. And if the boy truly knew the blonde, then they might be able to use him to lure the jinchuriki away from his precious village and take what they wanted.

Another was that the kid was just that: a kid. There would be no problem with him because, no matter what he told anyone, no one would believe him. Besides, the kid was more than professional enough to be brought into the organization and used without threatening any of their plans. He and Itachi had already taken care of his loyalty. There would be no need to worry about that.

The leader had not been impressed when Kisame had told him all this. The man's face showed no emotions whatsoever, but Itachi found it rather easy to read the man.

Two of his most capable and loyal members had brought a kid into their base. Quite frankly, out of the whole organization, the man most probably had expected something like this from any of the other members. Hidan, after all, was one of the most unhinged individuals any of them had ever come into contact with. And all of the other members were odd in their own ways. But, out of all of them, Kisame and Itachi had always proved to be the most level headed and sane.

Up until they had brought Kiba in, of course.

"You are twisting my words!" Kisame shouted with a growl, "You are taking-"

"I am making my own interpretations, yes." The man interrupted with his own growl, eyes narrowing in response to Kisame's anger. "But I remember your words exactly. You wish him to be the Akatsuki's tracker. You said nothing about the boy's talents only being allowed to be used by you." Then he stood up from his desk, rising to his full height. "Hidan and Kakuzu's bounty will bring much needed money to our organization. And you two have been given an even more important mission. These diplomatic relations cannot come to fruition."

Kisame was clearly losing this battle. So Itachi breathed in to gain some composure, then began to speak.

"Leader, if I may-"

"No, you may not, Itachi!"

The outburst from the man caught both Kisame and Itachi off guard.

"You two believe you have any say in this matter? You have forgotten your place." The man did not scream, he did not raise his voice, but he did speak with absolute finality, his anger restrained. "You have a mission to complete. Now leave my office and keep your thoughts to yourself. If you really want that boy to stay here, alive and well, you will allow him to prove himself without you two guiding him."

Itachi had not been prepared to hear the man so adamant about not allowing them to do as they wanted. And a flare of worry rose up in him at the idea of Kiba caught all alone with Hidan and Kakuzu.

One was an unhinged religious fanatic that reveled in unnecessary death. The other had gained the reputation in their organization for killing off his partners if they so much as looked at him the wrong way.

Just how deranged must their leader have been to decide on sending Kiba with those two for his first mission?

"You cannot possibly be serious." Kisame huffed frantically, eyes wide, "They'll kill the kid!"

Itachi could feel his self-control slowly being chipped away the worse the situation became.

"They will not. I shall speak to them and they will know of the consequences should any harm befall the boy."

The man seemed so sure of himself. But Itachi knew how unhinged Hidan was. There really was no way to guarantee the boy's safety with him around.

"This is Hidan!" Kisame shouted in exasperation, "He can't die! No matter what you do to him, he'll heal from it! And, worse yet, he'll most probablyenjoy whatever it is you decide to punish him with!"

Kisame and Itachi were getting on the man's nerves. Itachi could tell from the way he breathed in and out heavily while leveling Kisame with a glare.

It was at this moment, when all the men were caught up in an intense stare down, that the door to the office opened. In stepped Kiba clad in the dark clothes that had become his main attire, Akamaru to his side, and Konan behind him.

If annoyance and a bit of jealousy spiked up in Itachi's chest at the sight of Konan standing almost smugly behind the boy, it was merely because of the leader's stubbornness. It clearly wasn't because seeing that someone else had spent time with his Kiba brought out a need to wrap his arms around the young boy and run everyone away from him. Because that would be preposterous.

"It's an honor to meet you, leader."

After having spoken so respectfully, Kiba managed to surprise Kisame and Itachi further by then bowing to their leader. They had yet to see the boy be so respectful to anyone that wasn't them.

Immediately Itachi began to suspect Konan and her actions.

"Konan has explained the situation to me," The boy began, motioning slightly to the woman behind him as he did so, before standing straight with his shoulders squared. "And I understand the need for me to go with Hidan and Kakuzu." Then he turned to Itachi and Kisame, "I can do this. And it'd be nice to finally stretch my legs. I've been feeling kind of stuffy being cooped up in the same place."

These words that were coming from Kiba... Itachi couldn't believe them.

The boy was openly defying him and Kisame? This couldn't be right.

Behind Kiba, Itachi could swear he saw a smirk form on Konan's face. But as soon as it had appeared, it was gone and Konan looked back at Itachi with an almost bored expression on her face.

The implications this sent Itachi were enough to make him begin to seethe.

"Kiba, you're an idiot." Kisame bit out immediately, stepping towards him. "You have no idea who these two are and you don't know the kind of things they can do."

"That might have been correct an hour ago, Kisame, but I relayed all pertinent information about Kakuzu and Hidan to Kiba and Akamaru." Konan answered calmly, which made Kiba nod in agreement. "He knows of how dangerous they are and what they are capable of."

And with this bit of information, Itachi couldn't hold himself back.

"He knows this all... Yet he insists on going on that mission?"

He managed to keep a serious and detached tone, but, internally, he flinched. Even if the leader and Konan wouldn't know what his speaking up meant, Kisame would. And he was sure the shark nin wasn't about to give such information up without making fun of it first.

"He wants to prove himself to the organization he is now a part of." The leader spoke up with a hint of amusement shining in his voice, "Konan, I take it that you have completely briefed him on his mission."

It wasn't a question. But Konan still nodded. "Yes I have, leader. Kiba is now aware of his mission, all dangers he might encounter, and just what his task on the team is. I believe he will be more than successful at it."

Itachi somehow managed to keep a stern face even though he could feel his whole world crumbling from within. Kiba refused to look at him.

What had Konan done to his pup?

Although on the outside he seemed as stoic and composed as ever, on the inside Itachi was going through all possibilities of what Konan had probably said and done to Kiba in the time they had been in the meeting. And if the woman had dared to do anything Itachi thought of... Then she would not live for long. That much Itachi could promise.

~/~

It was because of Konan's wise words that Kiba had dared walk into the meeting with Itachi, Kisame, and the leader.

He couldn't let Itachi and Kisame jeopardize their standing in the organization just because of him. Not after everything they had done for him.

Konan had started off explaining how to get on Hidan and Kakuzu's good side, but then had veered into talking a bit more about their organization. The missing nins were equivalent to a group of mercenaries that just wanted to make the world a better place, eve though their methods weren't the cleanest. And, of them all, Itachi and Kisame were the greatest around.

They were given leeway and more trust than their other members because of how loyal they had proved themselves to be. It was because of this that Kiba had been accepted when they first appeared with him. If it had been any other member, organization would have gotten rid of him andthe member that had brought him in. Out of the active roster members, Itachi and Kisame were the most important and most trusted.

And they were endangering that status by being so defiant.

Kiba knew he couldn't let them hurt themselves. And Konan told him of the only way to protect them from themselves.

By accepting the mission with Hidan and Kakuzu, Kiba would effectively annihilate all protests the two men could bring up. If he were to go along peacefully with the plans, then there would be no room for arguments.

Which is why he now found himself avoiding Itachi's gaze after having accepted his mission.

He knew both of his saviors would be upset with his decision. But he also knew that they were running unnecessary risks by trying to keep him from protected from their own organization.

Until now, both Konan and Hiruko had proved to not seek any ill will onto Kiba. And while he was still terrified of the very idea of the rest of the men that belonged to this syndicate of rogue ninja, Kiba knew he couldn't remain terrified and afraid forever. Especially not when the leader was so intent on profiting from the Inuzuka's tracking skills.

"Then matters are settled peacefully." The leader's deep and rich voice spoke with smugness, making Kiba look up at his shadowed figure and away from the enraged Kisame. "Kiba will go with Hidan and Kakuzu. Itachi and Kisame will go their own way. Everything works out well."

Kiba nodded immediately, wanting to finish this as soon as he could. "Yup. I'm actually kind of excited to go on the mission. It'd be my first mission tracking on my own without anyone bothering me with their own talents. It's exciting!"

Internally, he wondered if he sounded excited at all. He was forcing himself to lie. For, in complete honesty, he was terrified of the idea of being on a mission with two zombie-like men.

"You see?" The leader asked, turning back to Itachi and Kisame. "He's excited to prove himself. You should be proud of him. So eager to make his mark in our organization."

Kiba nodded rapidly, only for Akamaru to yip in consent. He was happy his best friend was helping him with the charade. It made it seem all the more real if the dog showed interest in this as well.

"Now, off you two go." The leader waved Itachi and Kisame off. "You have only a few hours to prepare before you depart. Konan," The woman's eyes went to the man as soon as he called her, which made Kiba wonder just why she would answer so fast. "Equip the pup with everything he might need for this mission. Make sure he has enough supplies to not cause any trouble to either Hidan or Kakuzu."

"Yes, sir." She answered immediately, then squeezed Kiba's shoulder and began to lead him away from the office. "I will make sure of it."

And then Kiba was being walked out of the office, leaving behind both of his saviors.

He could feel their eyes on him as he walked away. But he didn't dare say anything else. He wasn't sure if he could keep the fake enthusiasm or reassurance up if he tried to continue.

* * *

Hidan and Kakuzu arrived earlier than what Konan had calculated. And when Kiba met them, he understood why Itachi had wanted him nowhere near the silver haired loud mouth.

He and Konan had just finished speaking once more with the leader after Konan had asked what supplies Kiba was permitted to take with him. They had been walking out of the office when they heard a shout directed at them, one full of insult and mocking.

"Oy, sweet tits! Who's the kid? Is he from a failed relationship years ago? The abortion wasn't a success?"

To her credit, Konan didn't react in the slightest to the loud man's words. Instead, she merely sighed and waved him off.

"As loud as ever I see, Hidan." She breathed out, then addressed the dark skinned man with the mask over his nose and mouth. "I take it your mission was a success, Kakuzu?"

This man was a complete antithesis to his partner. While Hidan was slightly pale with almost white hair and bright purplish red eyes, Kakuzu was dark skinned with bright green eyes and all of his face covered except for the eyes. Both men were tall, although Kakuzu a bit more than Hidan.

With a grunt, the man moved to stand in front of the leader's office, "Of course it was. Can we go inside? I'm eager to get the briefing over with to finally get some rest."

As he said this, Kiba noted that Hidan smirked lecherously, although he couldn't understand why. Then, in the blink of an eye, the silver haired man was right in front of Kiba, grasping the boy by the hair and forcing his head back.

Immediately Kiba's eyes widened as he was forced to look into the man's narrowed eyes. Eyes that shined of curiosity, violence, and danger.

"He doesn't look much like you, bitch." He began with a smile, still keeping his gaze on Kiba. "Who's the father?"

When Konan didn't answer, Kiba began to worry about Konan leaving him to fend for himself. But then, quicker than he had ever seen anyone do before, the woman had raised her arm up in a curve, slicing through Hidan's wrist with some weapon Kiba wasn't able to make out.

The man shouted as his hand was cleanly cut off, jumping back as Kiba smacked at the severed hand still caught in his hair. Then, he began to scream and yell at Konan, all kinds of colorful curses spouting from his mouth without any remorse.

As he did this, Konan merely walked towards Kiba, checked him over, then forced him to take a step back and away from Hidan. Once he had done so, she moved so she stood right in front of him, hiding his body with her own.

"This is Kiba Inuzuka. The Akatsuki's newest tracker." The woman replied smoothly, apparently unfazed by having just severed a hand from a man's body. "You are to take him with you on your mission tomorrow."

"What?" Hidan growled, although Kakuzu questioned, "Tomorrow?"

The purple haired woman nodded at Kakuzu, completely ignoring the silver haired Jashinist. "The leader will give you your briefing as soon as you go speak with him. All you need to know, he will tell you."

As she said this, Hidan swooped down to grab his hand, eyes narrowed at her. But once she had finished, he was smiling dangerously.

"Ooh, the kid's going with us? Tell me, kid, are you a virgin?" Then he burst out into laughter, shaking his head, "Of course you're a virgin! You look like too much of an-"

"Hidan, if any harm is to fall upon Kiba Inuzuka while in your company, you will come to regret ever having even uttered your Lord's name." Konan interrupted with a deadly glare, voice taking on a threatening tone, "The organization gives you much leeway in many matters. But on this one, youwill treat Kiba with respect and courtesy unless you wish to find out how your talents and skills can be used against you."

Kiba felt a shiver run up his spine and how promising the woman sounded with what she said. And from the way Hidan and Kakuzu were both stunned in their places, he guessed this wasn't a normal occurrence.

Once she finished and allowed the words to sink in, Konan nodded at the man, "The leader is waiting."

Kakuzu nodded slightly at her words, opening the door to the office, while Hidan could merely back up with a pinched expression on his face. The silver haired man didn't stop looking at Konan until he was right beside the door. And, even then, he gave her one final look before he entered the room completely, the door shutting behind him.

When they were both gone, Kiba felt like he could relax again. Even though it was only a marginal relief.

"I believe he will behave." Konan muttered, even though Kiba didn't know if she was telling him. "Now, come on, Kiba. I'm sure Akamaru has already spent enough time sniffing out the best explosive tags. We should complete your pack before they finish their briefing."

With this, the woman began to walk off and in the direction of their supply room, not waiting for Kiba.

The boy spent a few seconds staring down at the small puddle of blood that had formed where Hidan's hand had fallen, alarmed and disgusted at the senseless violence he had experienced. But soon he shook it off, running after the woman that had protected him.

Hiruko was odd, but interesting and seemed to care, if only a bit. He'd kind of miss working with him in his workshop while he was off on his mission.

Kisame and Itachi were both his saviors. And he wasn't about to let them jeopardize their careers in the organization just because they wanted to keep him safe. He would keep them from hurting themselves. He would do his best. He wouldn't fail. He just couldn't. Not this time.

Konan he could trust. She was quiet, detached, but cared. She could be trusted.

Kakuzu wouldn't kill him unless Kiba actively bothered him. As long as he steered clear of the man, Kakuzu wouldn't seek to cause him any harm.

Hidan, on the other hand... He would have to use all of his wits to survive around him.

He could only hope his wits would be enough.


	23. Proper Arrangements

After he had finished preparing his pack with Konan, Kiba made his way over to Hiruko's workshop.

Even though he knew that he would have to speak with Itachi and Kisame before he left on his mission the following day, he wasn't looking forward to the talk that would ensue. Both men would undoubtedly be annoyed with him for what he had decided to do. And he didn't think he could face Itachi just yet.

So, instead of looking for those two, the boy instead left Akamaru with Konan- who had no problem with it because the dog actually enjoyed being around the woman- and headed over to the puppeteer's room. When Konan asked him where he was going, Kiba had lied and told her he was just wanted some time alone to explore the base. She hadn't questioned his motives, luckily enough.

When the Inuzuka reached the puppeteer's room, he looked at the door with narrowed eyes.

He had no idea how Hiruko would react to the news.

The man would most probably not care, actually. Even though Kiba had spent every night for the past few weeks in the same room as him, the man had yet to show any concern for him aside from putting him to bed. And, of course, cooking for him whenever Kiba's stomach made itself known during the night. But, aside from those small actions, he had yet to do anything that would cement any care in Kiba's mind.

As he began to think on all of the things Hiruko had done for him, Kiba missed the door before him opening.

"What are you doing here?"

The sudden question caught the boy off guard. And when he blinked out of his thoughts, he found himself face to face with Hiruko, the puppet's dark eyes half-lidded. He seemed almost bored.

"Uh... Hey, Hiruko." Kiba greeted lamely, forcing a small smile onto his face. "I'm here because I won't be able to visit you tonight."

The puppet stayed in the middle of the doorway, keeping Kiba in the hallway. And the boy wasn't sure if this was because the man didn't want Kiba coming into the room this time around.

"And why would you have to skip out on your learning?"

As the man asked this, his voice took on a slightly curious tone, although it was very faint. Kiba could have imagined it for all he knew.

The Inuzuka raised his hand up to scratch at the back of his head, looking away from the puppet's eyes to instead look at the floor. "I've been assigned to go on a mission tomorrow. And I don't think it'd be wise of me to stay up like I've been doing..."

Silence reigned over the two as Kiba kept his gaze on the floor, refusing to look up at the man. Then he heard a shift in front of him and found that Hiruko was going into the room.

"That is no excuse to skip out on training." Hiruko grumbled as he moved to the side, then raised his hand to motion for Kiba to come inside as well. "You have to learn how to mold at least three chakra threads before the end of this week. And seeing how you will now be leaving, you will have to improve _today._ "

The words were spoken simply and in a matter of fact manner. As if what Hiruko said was purely logic and only made the most of sense.

Kiba blinked after the man in shock, but quietly followed after him.

If Hiruko was set on improving Kiba's control, then who was the boy to complain? Besides, now that he would be leaving on his mission, Kiba would kind of miss the quiet nights with the other male. He had grown accustomed to seeing Hiruko every single night. It'd be a rather drastic change now that he would not be able to see him for the following few nights.

Once Kiba had entered the room, Hiruko closed the door and locked it behind them. Kiba quirked an eyebrow at this, for the man had never done it before, but the man merely ignored the boy as he stepped out of Hiruko. And as he did this, Kiba inferred that he had locked the door to guarantee a small bit of security from the other members of the organization. Most probably, he wanted to keep his true form hidden from the rest. Even though Kiba still could not understand why.

"Begin with the two stable chakra threads." The man ordered as he stepped over to his work table, which had a rather large puppet resting on top of it. "Once you are able to hold those two for two minutes, you will move on to the third chakra thread. If, at any point, your control fluctuates you will be punished by having to anchor one of the threads to any of this puppet's joints and move it. Am I understood?"

As the man spoke, Kiba settled himself on the floor, in front of the small work table Hiruko had brought into the workshop after a few nights of Kiba working on the floor. And once he was comfortable with his legs crossed beneath him, the Inuzuka breathed in and began to form the threads with all of his concentration.

Closing his eyes, the young boy raised his right hand and began to flow all of his chakra to his fingertips. Slowly, he began to feel the heat build up in the tips of his index and middle fingers. Then, when he believed he had built enough stable chakra on those ends, he began to push it outwards and towards the table before him.

It was a slow going process that forced him to breathe in deeply and heavily to keep his concentration. By the time he had managed to extend the thread all the way from his fingers to the table, he was sure more than five minutes had passed. But he was proud of himself for being able to push his chakra out of his body and create the thread used by puppeteers throughout the land. Even though it then began to take a lot out of him to keep the thread constant without any fluctuations.

"Hmm... Not bad."

Kiba had been so enthralled with completing his task perfectly that he hadn't noticed when Hiruko had sat beside him. And when the man spoke up from such a close proximity, Kiba had been so caught up that the steady flow of chakra through his body became agitated and caused the threads to break apart. With a small shout, Kiba's fingers were singed because of the heat caused by the sudden spike in chakra. And with darkened fingertips and a heaving chest, Kiba turned to glare at Hiruko.

"You didn't have to scare me like that!"

The man's light brown eyes didn't show any surprise or shock as they remained calm and slightly half-lidded. With a soft frown on his face, he raised his hand to grasp Kiba's, forcing his fingers to straighten slightly.

"But you should try to keep your fingers straight." He continued, adding to the observation that had caught Kiba off guard. "By having them just a bit angled, your pathways become strained and tightened. By keeping them straight, your chakra will be able to flow through your fingers with less interruption." He explained, "Once you are able to keep the threads stable, you will be able to move your fingers and angle them. But, until then, try to keep them straight to accustom your system to this new form of using chakra." Then, he retracted his hand and nodded at the boy beside him. "Again."

Kiba quirked an eyebrow at the man, slightly curious as to why the man had suddenly chosen to become the hands on type of teacher, but soon shook it off and pushed his chakra into his right arm once more.

When Kiba finally managed to make this set of thread, Hiruko spoke up once more. But this time around, the boy was prepared for some kind of interruption and managed to keep the flow going.

"What is this mission you are to go on?"

Taking in a deep breath, Kiba forced himself to concentrate on keeping his threads constant, eyes narrowed in determination of proving himself to Hiruko. "A track and hunt mission over by the Land of Fangs." He replied with a slight strain to his voice, sweat beginning to form as he forced himself to keep his hand steady. "There's a bounty on a rogue ninja that has been spotted in that area. I am to go with Hidan and Kakuzu to help them find him."

His fingers began to cramp and beg him to allow them to rest, but Kiba refused to let up just yet. Until Hiruko told him he had done well, he'd force himself to show the man he could keep the two threads.

"Hidan and Kakuzu? You are not to go with your two guard dogs?" The man asked with a curious and slightly worried intonation, but Kiba was too concentrated on his training to notice it.

The boy groaned softly, straining to maintain the threads as they began to fluctuate. He knew that Hiruko wanted him to answer, but it was now taking all of his concentration to maintain the thread. But, as he distracted himself in thinking about the question, he felt his right arm numb slightly and his built up chakra begin to leave it.

"Dammit!" He shouted as he closed his hands tightly, the chakra threads he had produced disappearing as he brought his arm and clutched it with his left.

He had been doing so well!

"I'm sorry, Hiruko..." He apologized while hanging his head. "I know you wanted me to move on to three, but I don't think-"

"Kiba, you did not answer my question."

The interruption made Kiba look up at the man and notice that his eyes were narrowed slightly. Even though his eyes were usually slightly closed, it always seemed to be in a lazy manner. But, this time around, they were narrowed and seemed to hold contained anger within.

"Sorry." Kiba apologized once more, then explained, "No, Itachi nor Kisame will be accompanying me. I'm to accompany Hidan and Kakuzu."

As he spoke, Kiba noted that Hiruko's eyes looked less and less calmed down. Instead, they began to spark with emotion. And he could not, for the life of him, understand why.

"I see." The man bit out after a few seconds of tensed silence. "I see." He repeated, then stood up swiftly and walked over to a large chest beside his work table and opened it. "Kiba, come here. I have a small gift to give you."

The man's actions confused the boy. He seemed as if he wanted to say something about his mission, but wasn't saying a thing. And now he wanted to give the dog nin a gift?

Slowly the boy straightened up and walked over to the man. As he did this, Hiruko sifted through the inner contents of the large chest until he found what he had been looking for. And when he did, Kiba's eyes widened at what the man began to pull out of the chest.

"This is a very concentrated vial of highly potent poison." Hiruko explained as he showed the small vial to the Inuzuka, the light purple liquid inside sloshing slightly as he did so. "With just a single drop of this, a person's whole nervous system will shut down within minutes. It's effects are not completely painful, but the victim will feel his or her body shutting down in stages until, finally, their body shuts down."

The information caused Kiba to begin to freak out slightly, wondering just why Hiruko would show him such a dangerous poison.

Once the man was sure Kiba had internalized all of the information, Hiruko returned to the chest and turned back with a set of dark fabric that had been folded up neatly.

"And this is a set of clothes specially made by me. It is completely hydrophobic, which means that no liquid can enter or be soaked up by it. Aside from that, they are awfully resistant to being cut or torn." Hiruko explained himself, then took a step towards Kiba and handed the clothes to the boy. "You are to wear them on your mission."

Mechanically, Kiba grabbed the clothes. But, even though his body accepted them without fuss, his mind was still trying to understand just what the man was doing.

"Hiruko?" He voice softly, eyes wide. "Why are you giving me this? It's not like you expect me to use any poison on my mission, do you?"

The man, though, nodded curtly. Kiba had been hoping he would not.

"Hidan is a dangerous man. And while he cannot die, his nervous system will take some time to repair from the damage wrought upon it by this poison." Hiruko admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. "If he were to make any move against you, all you would have to do is simply swipe at him with the poison and he would be down for days. Which would give you enough time to escape from him and come back to me for assistance."

The very idea of Hidan doing anything to him was terrifying... But even more so now that even Hiruko believed Hidan was capable of hurting him.

"But... Hiruko, you can't-" Kiba tried to object, but the man merely waved off his concern.

"I should probably lace one or two of your kunai with the poison, just to send you off with complete protection..." Hiruko drifted off as he said this, heading back to the chest. "But you would need a special carrying case for those... I should still have a couple of my old kunai pouches. These are specially made, of course, to not absorb any of the laced poison. Perfect for carrying weapons that have poison on them... And your own kunai may not be sharpened enough; I'll give you some of my own to make sure you are completely prepared."

Then the man pulled out a couple of kunai, along with a pouch. After he had done so, he grabbed the vial of poison he had left on his work table and began the process of lacing the blades with it, leaving Kiba to stare at him in slightly disgusted awe.

Was Hidan truly this bad? Bad enough that Hiruko was giving him poison to fight him off?

He could understand Itachi and Kisame worrying over him. Those two cared. He knew it. But for Hiruko to actually give him things to help him fight off the silver haired man... Maybe he had been underestimating how truly deranged Hidan could be.

"Alright. Here you are." Hiruko offered the pouch with the kunai already packed inside, placing it on top of the clothes he had given the boy.

Then he began to walk towards the door, unlocking it as he spoke, "The vial of poison should be hidden somewhere you can grab it quickly. There are small pockets hidden inside of the jacket that can be closed. It would be a good idea to keep that vial in any of those hidden pockets." He continued, then patted Kiba on top of the head. "You better come back alive. And when you do, you better be prepared for the third thread."

Then he pushed Kiba out of the room, closing the door behind him quickly.

So Kiba stood outside of the room without moving for a few seconds, brain trying to catch up with everything that had just happened. And when it finally did, he couldn't help but shake his head softly.

This was all so _scary_.

~/~

After he had gotten over some of his surprise at Hiruko giving him such violent advice, Kiba left the gifts hidden beneath the covers on Itachi's bed and made his way back to the front of the base, where he had left Konan and Akamaru.

When he got to the kitchen, he found that Konan was no longer there. Instead, Akamaru was now growling at both Kisame and Itachi, who were glaring down at the young pup.

"What's going on?" Kiba asked as he entered the room, somewhat confused as to why the three seemed so angered and annoyed.

As soon as he had spoken up, both males looked at him with glares. Then Itachi walked over to him and stood before Kiba, dark eyes looking him over with a deep frown on his face.

"Where have you been, Kiba?" The man questioned immediately, ignoring Kiba's own query. "Konan simply said you were off and Akamaru refused to take us to you."

So _that_ was why Akamaru had been growling.

Kiba felt conflicted over whether he should treat Akamaru for refusing to take Itachi and Kisame to him or if he should scold the dog for being so defiant to the two men that had helped them.

"I was just... _Walking around_." The dark haired boy lied, unsure of how Itachi would react if he were to find out that he had been spending so much time with Hiruko. "I wanted some time to myself."

The man's dark eyes scanned over the boy's features after he had explained himself and Kiba began to worry that he would find out he had been lying. Luckily, though, Itachi soon nodded, raised his hand to ruffle Kiba's hair, and smiled softly.

"How about some dinner, Kiba?"

The smile warmed Kiba's body to the very core and he found himself nodding animatedly. "Yes, please!"

Then Itachi led him to the large chairs by the counter where Kiba sat down, only to have Kisame sit on his left and Akamaru to his right. And as Itachi began to prepare some food for them all, Kisame took the time to quiz Kiba on everything he had learned on how to use the tantō to make sure the boy could use it if the need came during the mission. And once the shark nin finished quizzing him about that, he began to give the boy pointers on how to defend himself and flee if the situation ever called for it.

As the smell of cooking food hit Kiba's nose, he began to feel slightly nauseous at what he had agreed to do.

He had no backup if Hidan were to try anything. Sure, Hiruko had given him all of that poison, but... Would that be enough? And what about Kakuzu? What if he were to grow annoyed with Kiba? What if he decided that the boy wasn't worth the organization's time and it'd be best to just terminate him?

"Kiba."

Looking up from the counter, the Inuzuka found Itachi looking down at him with soft eyes. "Yeah, Itachi?"

"You will be alright." The man seemingly promised, "Hidan will control himself and Kakuzu will do nothing as long as you keep to yourself. Just do your job, keep your head down, and don't lag behind." Then he smiled softly, cocking his head slightly to the side to close his eyes. "Now, would you like some food?"

Seeing Itachi so calm and hearing him so sure of himself, Kiba began to feel comforted. Because if Itachi believed in him and his likely success, then it was more likely than not that everything would be fine.

So, with a tentative nod, Kiba smiled up at Itachi.

Itachi returned it with one of his own before he turned to serve up all of the food, then handed it out to Kisame, Kiba, and Akamaru. The four ate in companionable silence for a time before Kisame spoke up.

"Kid... We won't be able to see you off."

This caused Kiba to halt in his eating as he turned to look at the blue skinned man. "Huh? What do you mean, Kisame?"

With a soft sigh, Itachi answered for his partner. "Our mission has been pushed up in our time restrictions. The squad of shinobi that we are to intercept left their village sooner than we expected. Which means we'll have to leave earlier than planned to catch up to them and stop the exchange of any diplomatic documents."

This was the first time Kiba heard anything about the mission Itachi and Kisame were supposed to go on. And it was kind of odd to hear about the _interception_ of diplomatic documents rather than a mission to get those documents to their destinations.

"Oh..." Kiba mumbled, "I understand."

"And I really wanted to muscle some sense into Hidan before you left." Kisame breathed out dramatically, trying to lighten the tension in the room.

Kiba greatly appreciated this and smiled softly at the man, "Don't worry... Akamaru will do it for you. Right, bud?"

The pup barked then growled, telling Kiba he'd bite anyone that dared get too close to his master. This, of course, made Kiba chuckle at his dog and ruffle the fur at the top of his head.

"And he'll do a very good job." Itachi added, then motioned for Kiba to continue eating. "You're going to need your strength, after all."

And once more the group fell into silence as they continued eating the meal Itachi had made for them, all content to just be in each other's company.

* * *

Sleep didn't come to Kiba that night.

He wasn't tired nor did he feel like he could have slept even if he was. With all of the worry that came from everybody warning him about Hidan, he found himself unable to truly get some rest. All kinds of doubts ran around his head as he rested alone on Itachi's old bed, Akamaru curled up possessively on Kisame's own.

Both of his saviors had left for their mission after dinner. Kisame had ruffled Kiba's hair with promises of moving onto more complex kata if he proved himself on the mission. And Itachi had hugged Kiba tightly for a long time, not letting go until Kisame had muttered that they had to leave if they didn't want to incite their leader's wrath. Even then, Kiba had not let go of the man. He felt so protected while in his arms... He didn't want them to leave him alone.

Yet Itachi had needed to leave. And he'd done so with promises of bringing Kiba back some gift if he did a good job while on his own mission.

Kiba had never seen Itachi so kind and caring. It had made his heart warm comfortably. And when the man's arms had unwrapped from around him, the Inuzuka had suddenly begun to feel cold.

The night was restless and sleepless. His stomach was tight and twisted uncomfortably. His chest barely allowed him to breathe correctly with how compressed it felt. And his eyes refused to close. At least, they refused to do so for longer than five seconds before his mind came up with images of an angered Kakuzu glaring at him or a deranged Hidan brandishing a large sword to strike at Kiba with it.

Which was kind of odd because Kiba didn't even know what kind of weapon the man chose to use.

When morning rolled around, the boy went to the bathroom as early as four in the morning and went through the motions of his old morning routine with anticipation and hesitation. In the bathroom, he showered as slowly as possible, not too eager to be prepared to leave much too early. He washed his hair and body with the shampoo and soap he had identified as Itachi's, feeling a sting of loneliness as the scent of the soap the man used enveloped him. And as he scrubbed over his arms and legs, the boy did his best to ignore the sight of the mostly healed injuries, most of which had already become ugly scars.

He didn't want to face the harsh reality of what his body had become just yet.

When he had finished drying off, the young teen looked at the clothes Hiruko had given him, which he had placed on top of the bathroom's sink to keep dry while he bathed.

He hadn't promised the man he would wear them... But he understood that they had been given to him for a reason. So he stepped towards them and unfolded them, looking over the garments. They seemed to be a tad bit big for him, but when he put the light gray shirt on, he noted it fit him perfectly. Not too big, not too small. It wrapped around his body perfectly and twisted with his movements.

The shirt had sleeves that came up to just below his shoulders, which exposed all of his scars to the outside world. The thought of those being seen caused Kiba to wince, but then he remembered that Hiruko had spoken of a jacket and turned back to the pile to find a black jacket with three pockets running along the inside of it to each side. This garment was soft yet, for some reason, a bit heavy. And when he slid it on, he found that its collar slightly tickled his chin. But, just like the shirt, it fit him perfectly. He left the zipper undone, opting to keep the jacket open rather than closed for the time being.

When he grabbed the jacket, he noted there was a pair of dark gray gloves just on top of the folded pants, and he pulled them on as well. Hiruko had given him a complete outfit, hadn't he? The tips of the gloves would prove to be somewhat annoying with his long nails, but Kiba decided to just ignore whatever discomfort and continued dressing.

And, finally, the black pants given to him came to his mid-calf, but also brought a kind of sandal cover that hooked to the bottom of the wearers sandals and ran up to just a bit above the pants' hem, most probably so they could be tucked inside. And because Kiba wasn't wild about the scars on his legs being seen, he walked back to his room, put on his sandals, and then hooked the cover to the bottom to pull them up.

Once he had finished getting dressed, Kiba felt just a tiny bit weird at how perfect the clothes fit him. There were only two possibilities as to how the clothes fit him so well. Either Hiruko had been his exact same size when he was younger and worn these clothes years ago or he had tailored them specifically for Kiba. And that last idea was just a tad bit creepy.

Still, he woke Akamaru up as he wrapped the kunai pouch Hiruko had given him around his right leg for better accessibility in case of any real emergency. The dog was confused as to where the clothes had come from, but Kiba merely told him it had been a gift from a good friend. This peaked the pup's curiosity and he'd begun to try to badger the answer out of his master, but Kiba kept silent about the true identity of his good friend.

When Akamaru was hungry and ready for breakfast, it was barely six in the morning. The sun had barely even risen. And Kiba breathed in to calm his nerves, grabbed the pack he and Konan had prepared the past evening, and began to walk out of the room. But as he was about to pass the threshold, something made him stop.

He felt as if he was missing something. What could it be?

The boy turned around to look through the room, then his eyes fell on the small vial Hiruko had given him the past day. It rested innocently on top of Kiba's pillow. He had left it there while he bathed and dressed.

Should he take it? He already had the poisoned kunai pouch strapped to his leg. The poison lining the weapons should be enough to stop anyone that tried to attack him.

But.. Hiruko had told him to take both the weapons _and_ the vial. And who was he to go against the wiser male's words? Hiruko had given him both things with clear instructions to take them with him and hide the vial on his person.

So, with a soft frown, Kiba walked towards the bed and picked up the vial, then pocketed it on the left side of his jacket. He buttoned up the pocket and looked up to see Akamaru looking at him with wide eyes.

"It's nothing, boy." He tried to ease the dog, "Just another small gift. Why don't we go and get some breakfast, huh? I'm kind of hungry."

It was a lie. His stomach was completely twisted up and he doubted he'd be able to eat anything. But he still began to walk in the direction of the kitchen, ignoring the barks demanding him to explain just what was up with the vial he had pocketed.

When he reached the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator for the first time in his whole stay in the base. It was now that he noticed that he had not needed to make anything for himself in the whole time he was here. Itachi or Hiruko usually cooked for him if he wasn't hungry. And Konan had made him food the past day too.

On the shelf closest to his eyesight, Kiba found a small plate with saran wrap around it, a small piece of paper attached to the bottom of it.

'Kiba, have a good breakfast. Prove yourself.' Was scrawled neatly in what Kiba guessed was Itachi's penmanship, and below it, written more crudely, was 'Don't die or you'll have to answer to me.' This was undoubtedly Kisame's goodbye message.

A soft smile found its way onto Kiba's face as he just gazed at the small paper, suddenly feeling warm once more. Then he grabbed the plate gingerly, as if afraid of breaking it, and turned around to sit at his usual spot by the counter. When he sat down, the boy carefully unwrapped the plate and looked down at his breakfast, a simple yet touching breakfast dish, and began to eat. The note he pocketed in the spot above the vial, in the pocket closest to his heart.

He ate slowly and calmly, trying to breathe and calm himself, hesitant because he did not want to induce any accidental vomiting because of how twisted his stomach was. By the time he had finished, he could hear the sounds of people around the organization waking up and beginning their own day.

This would be the first day in weeks that he hadn't begun his day with a grouchy Kisame forcing him awake. It felt almost surreal, if he was being honest.

He decided to stay seated by the counter until someone came to collect him, not too eager to actually begin the day. And because he chose to stay there, he was able to greet Hiruko- inside of his puppet armor once more- as the man walked through the kitchen.

"You are wearing the clothes." Hiruko observed, the soft clicking of a puppet's joints moving barely perceptible to even Kiba. "And you have the weapons I gave you."

Kiba nodded and smiled softly, "I would be a fool to not take them with me." He admitted, "Thank you."

"Hn." The man hummed, then looked over at the dog that was growling softly. "He does not like me."

Kiba looked down at Akamaru and flicked him lightly on the nose, earning a surprised yelp from the animal. "Don't be rude. He's not a bad guy." Kiba scolded, "And he's not going to hurt me. There's no reason for you to be so protective."

Hiruko remained motionless as Akamaru barked back at Kiba, annoyed that his master had scolded him for _caring_. Kiba wondered if the man wanted to say anything before moving off, but was not able to find out before Hidan stumbled into the room with an irritated sneer on his face.

"It's too fucking early for this shit!" The man gasped out as he stumbled over to the refrigerator, throwing it open violently to grab an apple. "Hiruko, you sad bastard, you're still alive?"

Once more Hiruko simply 'Hn'ed and gave Kiba one final look. Then the man walked out of the kitchen, leaving Kiba alone with the silver haired lunatic.

Fear and terror spiked in Kiba's chest as he noticed that Hiruko had left him _alone_ , then he caught scent of Kakuzu's metal, money, and blood inundated scent and, soon enough, the large man was stomping into the kitchen as well. He was grouchy as well, if his narrowed eyes were anything to go by, but he wasn't as vocal about it as his partner.

"Hey, cheap fucktard, you ready for the newest bullshit mission?" Hidan asked with too loud a voice, earning a glare from the insulted man as he headed over to make himself some coffee.

"I am." Kakuzu grunted, "Inuzuka." He called, immediately making the boy sit up straighter. "Are you prepared?"

Kiba didn't trust his voice at the moment, so he instead nodded mutely. But when he noticed that the silence stretched and Hidan smirked almost viciously, he managed to make out, "Yeah," without stuttering.

"Got all of your weapons, lil' bitch?" The silver haired man asked with a smirk, most probably calling him that because of his association with Konan. "Feel like you'll be of any use?"

"Hidan, shut up." Kakuzu growled, then turned around to face the boy that was to be his tracker. "Kid, I'm going to tell you this now and you better take note of it. You do your job, you don't spend my money, and you don't do anything stupid like Hidan, and you'll be fine. But if you prove to be a nuisance, I will _not_ hesitate to put you in your place." He warned, then questioned, "Do you understand?"

Once more Kiba nodded mutely, Akamaru nodding beside him as well. The dog knew that, even if the man didn't know it, the warning also applied to him. And he wasn't about to be the cause of any injury falling onto his charge.

"Good." Kakuzu nodded as the coffee he had set began to brew. "You already have everything you need? All your weapons, food rations, water, and anything else you think you might need?"

Once more, Kiba nodded without speaking. And, to his surprise, he found Kakuzu sounding amused when he next spoke up.

"Huh… You're not too talkative." The man noted, "Good. I don't need any more annoying chatterboxes with me. Hidan's lucky he can't die."

"Hey, fuckface, I'm still here!" Hidan shouted, only to be ignored by the taller man.

"We'll leave as soon as I have finished eating." Kakuzu finished as he turned back to the coffee maker, pouring himself some of the drink as soon as he could.

Hidan growled in frustration at being ignored by the man, but soon he was smirking in Kiba's direction. The man's devious intentions made Kiba immediately blanch and a shiver run up his spine.

"Hidan, you know what is to happen to you if you fuck with the kid." Kakuzu warned half-heartedly, clearly not really caring about what his partner chose to do. "Eat. We're leaving as soon as I finish eating. Even if you _haven't_."

The silver haired man scoffed at the order but still a bite out of his apple, rolling his eyes as he did so.

Kiba wished he could say he felt slightly comforted at the fact that at least Hidan knew there would be horrible consequences if he tried anything. But the man's eyes never left his body as he finished eating his breakfast. And as he walked behind both tall men to head out on their mission, Akamaru padding softly beside him, Kiba could just _smell_ Hidan's ecstatic and eager emotions. He had no idea if that spelled out anything good for him.


	24. What's Left to Lose

Before they left the base, Kiba had found out Hidan's weapon of choice. A terrifying three-bladed scythe that promised much pain to whoever was unfortunate enough to get caught in its swing. And from the way Hidan had smiled at Kiba when the boy had stared with wide eyes at it, Kiba was allowed to know the man found his reaction amusing. He had seemed to be prepared to make some kind of witty commentary, but Kakuzu had interrupted with grunts of hurrying up while beginning to move away. Hidan had followed with one final smirk sent Kiba's way, leaving the boy stunned for a second. Then, Kiba had moved, body stiff and mind racing.

The run that ensued was made in complete silence.

Kiba and Akamaru ran as quietly as they dared, going from one branch to the other with their senses on high alert but their mouths screwed shut. Kiba kept his eyes narrowed and scanned the whole scenery every few minutes, worried for any kind of threat that might come up as he ran. Akamaru, on the other hand, kept his eyes on the men they were following, distrustful of these two men that smelled respectively of death, blood, money, metal, and incense.

They had always been a good team. And there was no way to get around that truth. While Kiba kept a lookout for any outside threats, Akamaru kept a lookout for the threats the two men could be. A foolproof manner of protecting each other from possible attacks.

The hours ticked by slowly and without anything exciting happening. Kakuzu mostly kept to himself, only grunting a short 'Shut up' at an incessantly praying Hidan, who would then shout an annoyed 'Make me, fuckface!', before he went back to his prayers. If Hidan wasn't praying, though, insulting Kakuzu in some manner or growling for a reprieve in their running, he mostly kept to himself. Something that both worried and comforted Kiba.

His silence could be taken as one out of two reasons: Either the man was quiet because he didn't give a flying fuck about Kiba, or he was plotting something heinous for the boy.

Kiba could only hope it was the first option.

The sky changed as they ran. From an early dawn, the sun had ascended to its very peak and Kiba could guess they were already nearing, if not already in, noon. If that was so, then they had been running for at least four hours without stopping.

From his side, Kiba heard Akamaru whine softly, asking if the boy could begin to carry him. The small plea made Kiba smile softly and nod. Quickly the dog jumped into his master's arms, only to be nestled inside the new jacket the boy sported. It wasn't as big as Kiba's old jacket, but it was comfortable enough. And the dog was afforded a much deserved break.

"Kuzu! You abusive prick! I want to take a break!"

The shouts from Hidan made Kiba quirk an eyebrow and stop a few feet away from him. The man had stopped on a sturdy tree branch and Kiba didn't want to get too close to him.

Kakuzu had been moving to continue running, most probably planning on just ignoring Hidan, but he stopped after one final jump. With a suffered sigh, the large man turned to glare back at Hidan, green eyes seemingly glowing with annoyance.

"We're only an hour away from the town where our target is supposedly heading. You can wait an hour to rest." Kakuzu growled, voice tinted with slight irritation. "The kid hasn't complained once. Why can't you take a page out of his book?"

Hidan growled back at the other man, but Kiba wasn't able to see if there was any change to his facial expression. He hadn't moved from being a few safe feet away from the silver haired man. And he wasn't about to get closer just to find out.

"The kid's a fucking pussy! Don't compare me to him!" Hidan shouted back, which made a spark of irritation rise in Kiba, though he was able to stamp it down.

He shouldn't allow himself to be insulted by this man. His insults meant nothing, after all. He handed them out without actually thinking about it. It was most probably just a reflex now and natural for him.

"I want food, water, some nice shade, and to rest." Hidan demanded, crossing his arms.

The more Kiba was able to see of Hidan's true self, the more the man reminded him of a petulant child. But instead of this idea humoring him, it terrified him. A petulant child with a skill level as high as Kisame or Itachi's. It seemed like a very dangerous combination that could only spell disaster.

"That's nice, Hidan." Kakuzu responded sarcastically, "We're an hour away from our destination. Suck it up."

Softly, Akamaru keened. And in slight worry, Kiba leaned his head down so the dog could whisper into his ear with soft whines.

"These two are beyond dangerous, Kiba. Their chakra levels could rival Dumb Shark's... Why did you ever agree to going with them?"

The softly uttered worries made Kiba begin to feel horrible for ever having dragged Akamaru into the mission with him. Maybe he should have left his faithful companion back in the base with Konan. That way he wouldn't have run the risk of Akamaru getting hurt.

"I'm sorry, boy." Kiba apologized as he raised his left hand to pet the dog's head, "But we'll be fine. That I promise." He whispered, trying to keep the men in front of him from hearing him.

"I'm not moving a single Jashin damned inch, bastard!" Hidan shouted with a huff as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Whatcha gonna do now that I won't move?"

A breeze passed through the group and leaves rustled softly, making a shiver run up Kiba's spine. Something felt _off_.

"You won't move at all, Hidan?" Kakuzu questioned, tone awfully light for the man. "Well then, I guess I'll just have to adjust to what you want." The man shrugged softly, then jumped over to the branch Hidan stood.

"Finally! You've seen reason, fuckface! Isn't it great when we get along?" Hidan asked brightly, and Kiba couldn't help but feel the feeling of dread that something really bad was about to happen.

With that sinking feeling growing in his gut, Kiba continued looking forward at both men. Then, in a flash of a second, he witnessed a black tendril break through Hidan's back, having passed straight through the man's heart.

The boy's eyes widened at the sight before him, the dark weapon embedded in Hidan's body staying in its place until it was slowly retracted with a grotesque sliding noise. He'd been so caught off guard by the movement that he barely noticed Akamaru burrowing into his jacket, whimpering softly with fear.

"Kuzu..." Somehow, Hidan managed to speak even with the injury he had sustained. "You fucking bastard..."

Then the silver haired man slumped forward, all life leaving his body.

No more breathing came from the man. And his body began to smell of a corpse, a definite sign of death for Kiba. And the stronger the smell became, the more the boy's breath quickened and the worse he began to feel.

"Inuzuka."

When he heard his name, it took just about all of his self control to not bolt back in the direction he had come from. Unconsciously, his right hand neared the kunai pouch strapped to his leg, all the while the left wrapped around Akamaru's tense and slightly shivering body.

"I have a garment of our target's. I want you to go ahead and find him." Kakuzu grunted, apparently completely unaffected after Hidan's lifeless body had slumped onto him. "Come here."

The Inuzuka's eyes couldn't have opened any wider. And he knew that Akamaru was just as appalled and disgusted by what they had just witnessed. Kakuzu, though, didn't seem to care at all about having just murdered a man in front of the kid because he barked out another command within seconds of the first.

"Move your ass if you don't want to end up like him!"

His body was moving before his brain had caught up with how terrified he was of having to even go near the dead man's body. But Kiba ran quickly over to Kakuzu as the man reached for something inside his cloak. And once Kiba was on the same branch as both members of the organization, the green eyed killer handed over a torn jacket with his right hand, his left keeping Hidan in place.

"Go ahead and move quickly. I want that man to be located and ready for capture when I manage to drag this bastard's sorry corpse to the target's location." The man growled, clearly in an awful mood.

Mutely, Kiba nodded, then chanced a look at Hidan's body. Immediately, he regretted having done so. All color had drained away from his face and his oddly colored eyes were open, expressionless, and _dead_.

Bile began to rise in his throat and he soon jumped away from both men, eyes screwing tight as he hoped to get rid of the image that had seemingly burned into his brain.

"And if you haven't found him by the time I arrive," Kakuzu called as Kiba began to run in the direction of the town. "You will have proved how _useful_ you are to the organization."

A cold chill ran over the boy's body at the implications of the man's words and nodded mutely. Akamaru whined softly as Kiba began to run on all fours, bounding from one tree branch to another as fast as he could to get away from the murderous man.

"I know, boy... I know..." Kiba managed to make out. "W-we better do as told." His voice quivered slightly as he spoke, fear seeping into his very bones.

Kakuzu had just speared Hidan through the heart without any hesitation, without any qualms. If he had done that to his supposed partner, then what would he be willing to do to Kiba?

Breathing in to try and calm himself, Kiba shook his head and raised the garment to Akamaru's nose. "Sniff this. We have to know our target's exact location before Kakuzu catches up. That's our job, after all."

He wanted to be strong for his companion. But his body felt stiff and almost unresponsive, which meant that he had to force himself to run at his top speed.

To Akamaru's credit, instead of calling Kiba out as crazy and deranged, the pup merely sniffed at the article of clothing, memorizing the scent that clung to it. And once he was sure he'd be able to identify it, the dog barked at Kiba, telling the boy to do the same. It'd be good if they were both on the hunt. It would mean they would be able to find their target that much quicker.

Kiba raised the garment to his nose without argument, heart pounding loudly in his chest as he pushed his body to go faster and faster, further away from Kakuzu and a lifeless corpse.

* * *

Shino didn't like being kept in the dark.

He could appreciate the need to keep things secret and even understood the need for it, but he did not like being lied to. Especially when he was being lied to about the teammate he had foolishly left behind.

Kiba... Deserved _better_.

The younger boy had given his body to keep Hinata and Shino protected. The Inuzuka had shoved his own wants and needs to the side to give his teammates a greater chance of surviving the horrible ordeal.

The young Aburame was no fool. If Kiba had not stepped in and made the deal when he had, then the chances of both Hinata and Shino getting raped would have been much too high.

Like a fool, Kiba had taken all the pain.

Like a fool, Shino had left him behind.

And like complete _fools_ , Shino and Hinata had both accepted this new mission that would keep them out of the village for some time, even though they both wanted to know any news about Kiba the second it got to the village.

It was kind of like having Kiba with them again. The biggest difference was the lack of a dog and all activities that came with him. There were other differences too. Naruto was loud, but he only ever got cocky when challenged. He mostly respected Shino's orders. Kiba would usually challenge the bug nin's decisions, find any chance of committing a mistake, and forced Shino to think deeply on everything he had planned.

Both loud mouths weren't exactly alike in looks either. But they were just about the same height. And if Shino squinted hard enough and truly his imagination, he could make himself believe Naruto was Kiba. If only for a few seconds.

A few months ago, Shino would have never even thought about Kiba being around. Now that the dog nin was nowhere to be found, all he truly wanted was to be allowed to find him and bring him back home.

He'd never noticed it before, but... Kiba was his best friend.

And it took the Inuzuka vanishing completely from the Aburame's life for him to notice.

"Hey, Shino!"

With a sigh, the young Aburame looked in the direction of the the blonde that ran up to him.

Kiba would have called him Bug Breath.

"What is it, Naruto?" Shino inquired, keeping his voice steady even through the pang of sadness in his chest.

"Takeda wanted you to know that we're only about an hour away from their destination. And he wants to know if you'd like to spend the rest of the day resting here and head on over tomorrow morning, or-"

"We'll continue today." The taller boy interrupted, turning around once more to look out at the trees he had been looking at as he contemplated Kiba. "Go and tell the caravan. We are to arrive in an hour. No less."

Shino wanted this mission to already be over with. Their contractor, Takeda Kobayashi, was a calm and quiet man that had yet to cause any trouble. And the rest of the women and men that he had brought along with his caravan listened to the young genin without complaint, making this a perfect, picture book mission.

They had yet to run into any complications. The caravan had managed to go through the whole voyage without any kind of trouble. And the genin had yet to use any force against attackers because none had come. It was all going perfectly.

And, quite frankly, Shino didn't want to press the good luck they had managed to stumble upon.

"Sure thing!" Shino could hear the smile in Naruto's voice, then the blonde was running off to inform the caravan of Shino's orders.

A heavy sigh had the bug nin slumping his shoulders and closing his eyes.

It just wasn't the same.

He needed to get Kiba back.

It was both out of a selfish need to have the boy back in his life and pure concern for the boy he had left behind.

Shino refused to think back on his own time spent in the camp of mercenaries. He knew that he'd eventually have to come to terms with what he was put through... But, for the time being, he merely focused on what Kiba had been made to face.

Kiba had been raped. _Multiple times_.

And what had been done to Shino? Nothing. At least, when compared to his friend.

Both he and Hinata had been tied up in the same tent. If they had been found under any other circumstances, Shino could have easily called on his bugs to eat through the braided rope that had kept him tied in his place, while chakra restricting chains were wound around Hinata's frame. But the mercenaries had not been stupid. They had threatened with slitting Hinata's throat if they saw so much as one bug. And they had been kept under constant surveillance by rotating, hawk-eyed men.

Shino had been tied up by the most rudimentary device to be found, a simple rope. But he had not been able to do anything to free himself and Hinata. If he tried to use any of his bugs, Hinata would have been murdered. So he had been forced to sit through Kiba's screams of pain, tortured by the knowledge of both being able to do something yet prevented from that very thing through threat to his teammate.

The worst Shino had faced had been the men menacing Hinata's life.

And the worst Hinata had been put through? She had been forced to look at the tied up Shino without being able to move or summon any chakra to try and escape.

 _That_ had been their torture.

Though, it was _nothing_ when compared to what had been done to their last teammate.

They had not been harmed after they were captured. They had not been raped. They had not been dragged around the campsite and humiliated. They had merely been forced to sit in silence and _behave_.

And it was because of this that Shino hated himself and his lack of action.

He should have done _something_.

And now... He could do _nothing._

He felt Hinata's gentle chakra signature come near him and the bug nin soon turned to face his purple haired teammate.

Throughout the days spent together, he had begun to wonder if she blamed herself at all for anything that had happened. Because, if it hadn't been for her being captured, then maybe they would have managed to survive. If it hadn't been for her life being dangled before Shino, then maybe Kiba would still be... That was an unfair train of thought and Shino was very much of aware of it.

But he was a fool. And he was susceptible to foolish thoughts.

"Shino kun." She greeted softly, pupil-less eyes wide and seeking. "Naruto kun told me you wish for us to continue?"

From the way she carried herself, Shino knew she was slightly apprehensive about the move. And the boy could understand why. They had been moving the whole day and had only rested for an hour. This meant that the whole caravan had been forced to move rather vigorously during the day.

Shino nodded softly, "Yes. Naruto informed me that we were only about an hour away. It would be rather pointless to wait for tomorrow when we could finish our mission today." He explained himself, "I wish to be on the journey back to the Hidden Leaf tomorrow morning."

A moment of silence passed between them both after Shino had finished, then Hinata breathed out softly and nodded.

"I understand, Shino kun." She just about whispered, then smiled sadly at her teammate. "... Shino kun... I miss him too..."

Had she known Shino was thinking about Kiba this whole time?

Instead of speaking further, though, the girl turned around and made her way back to the large circle formed by the performers. She left Shino behind her, stunned and slightly caught off guard.

* * *

The man's scent had been contaminated by other scents. Kakuzu's own clung to the article of clothing, seeing how he had been carrying it around without containing it. But Kiba and Akamaru were skilled enough to be able to ignore those scents they knew and deduct the target's real scent. If he had been forced to find the scent at the snap of a finger, it would have been difficult. But because he had basically been given an hour, they had managed to isolate what they believed to be the target's main scent from all the others that clung to the jacket.

Once they had reached the town were they would find their target, Kiba began to sniff at the air.

Dozens of different kinds of smells hit his nose immediately, varying from delicious food all the way to revolting trash.

It was actually kind of hypnotizing, suddenly having all those different aromas enveloping him. Being caught in the clean environment that was the organization's base, with only human scents and the occasional meal, Kiba's nose had kind of gotten used to _clean_. But now he was back in a town with all kinds of people with all kinds of preferences and quirks.

It kind of smelled like Konoha. Just... Less leafy. There was more water in this part of the land. And more mountains. Less trees.

The town was a regular one that could be found by the outskirts of the great lands. There was great prosperity here, though, if the many different vendors to be found said anything. The buildings were standard, just like the people and things sold. All in all, this was a very standard town.

For the first time ever since he had become a genin, Kiba wasn't wearing his headband on a mission. Which meant that, aside from the very conspicuous red fangs on his cheeks, no one would know what village he came from.

If he was being honest, he wasn't completely sure how to feel about that.

When he was near the town's gates, Kiba plucked Akamaru out from his jacket and placed the pup down on the ground. And, immediately, the dog began to sniff at the ground. Like a proper hunting hound.

Both of them walked into the town, on the lookout for the scent on the garment. Kiba was a bit more inconspicuous about his search, knowing that it would seem weird to the villagers to see a teenage boy walking around, sniffing at everything.

They walked through the small yet bustling town with complete concentration on finding the scent of their target. And when they managed to reach the other side of the town, with two bars to their left, a tavern in front of them, and what seemed to be a brothel to their right, both Akamaru and Kiba were slapped by the sudden appearance of their target's scent.

"You smell that, right, boy?" Kiba asked his partner, prompting Akamaru to bark and point with his nose in the direction of the tavern. "We've found him." He smiled broadly, proud that he'd done his job.

All he had to do now was keep the man in his smell radius until Kakuzu arrived. Then he'd be able to step back and allow the skilled missing nin to take care of everything else.

"Well, it seems that for once in our life, a mission will be going well, Akamaru!" Kiba chuckled as he knelt to pat at his buddy's head, but stopped midway.

Three new scents made themselves known to Kiba's nose at this time. Or, actually, three _familiar_ scents did so.

And they were mixed in with their target's own.

"Shit."

Akamaru became agitated at Kiba's reaction to old friends, and he barked, asking just why his master didn't seem happy to be near his old teammates.

Kiba, while Akamaru barked, could only think about how his big mouth had undoubtedly made the three appear in this town as soon as he had been allowed to relax because it always got him in trouble.

It was a curse. He was sure of it. There was no other way to explain how things always went wrong when he spoke up.

But... What were they doing _here_? Why were they in the same place as the bounty?

... Why did he have _such rotten luck_?

"Is it really them?" Kiba wondered aloud, then began to sniff at the air once more.

But he didn't have to concentrate on just smell. Now that he was wholly concentrated on the tavern, he could hear just about everything that was going on inside. And Naruto's loud and boisterous laughter was kind of hard to miss. Along with the soft buzz Shino's insects were always emitting and Hinata's soft squeaks of surprise whenever Naruto happened to get too close.

If Kiba closed his eyes, he could make himself believe he was back home and those three were right with him and Akamaru. They would all be having a good time, he'd be arguing about trivial things with Naruto, and his two quiet teammates would be content in just hearing them being stupid.

His heart tugged uncomfortably at the thought.

But he didn't have time to reminisce and hope. Kakuzu would be appearing any minute now and those three idiots were in the same tavern as their target. Which meant that, if it came down to it, they may end up getting hurt in the ensuing battle.

He had to think fast and get them as far away from that place as possible if he didn't want all his sacrifices to have been for naught.

"Why don't we go talk to them? I've missed Kind Eyes! And Bug Breath too! Fox Boy is kind of annoying, but he gives me food!" Akamaru barked animatedly, tail wagging lively behind him. "Ooh, maybe they'll be able to help you get out of this dumb deal you made with Bitch Face! Maybe they can cause a distraction and help us escape from Cheap Miser and Blood Bag!"

The more Akamaru spoke about possibly getting his old friends' help to escape from the supposed hell Kiba had wound up in, the worse Kiba felt about the plan he began to formulate.

He couldn't break his promise to Itachi. And he had promised that, in exchange of his friends safe passage out of the bastards' campsite, then Kiba would become his tracker. This agreement didn't explicitly cover the whole 'organization's tracker' discrepancy, but Kiba was not the kind to lie and look between nonexistent lines. Part of his agreement with Itachi, indirectly, was to help Kakuzu and Hidan with this mission. And if he abandoned these two, then he'd, essentially, be breaking their deal.

It hurt to think this way... But Kiba was no fool.

With a soft frown finding its way onto the boy's face, Kiba began to kneel, raising his hand to place it over Akamaru's head.

"You know I'm not able to do that, boy."

The boy's soft whisper cut through Akamaru's words like a blade, making the dog's animated actions halt immediately.

"I made a deal. I swore on it." Kiba said seriously, dark eyes looking into Akamaru's own with full seriousness. "And I would not be worthy of the Inuzuka name if I abandoned my duties."

A soft whine escaped the dog's lips as his ears drooped, eyes wide with sadness.

It _broke_ Kiba's heart to keep Akamaru away from the two other humans he'd grown so close to. Hell, it basically tore his heart in half to know that he was the reason why Akamaru was in so much pain.

Team 8 had been more than just a team, after all. They were more than a group of genin put together until they made chunin. Team 8 had been a family.

A family that had been broken apart by a horrible mission...

Sighing, Kiba averted his eyes from his dog. He knew if he kept looking at Akamaru, he'd break. He'd allow Akamaru to take him back to his friends and leave his duties to Itachi's organization. He'd allow himself to be enveloped by the warm comfort offered by the ever accepting Naruto and Hinata, taken in by Shino's calm concern.

Blinking away a few stray tears, the boy shrugged his pack off and opened it. Konan had insisted it would be smart to take a few blank scrolls with him, just in case, even though he still did not know how to summon items stored inside. She had said that there might be a need to share silent messages, and that was able to be done through writing.

With shaky hands, the young Inuzuka grabbed one of the scrolls stored inside, along with a brush and ink. Then, already kneeling on the ground, he rolled the scroll open, dipped the brush in the ink, and began to write a short but- hopefully- informative message to those he had once called friends.

While he did this, Akamaru turned his back on the boy, looking directly at the establishment they had smelled their friends in. It hurt Kiba to have his dog basically ignore him, but he knew what he was doing.

He _hoped_ he knew what he was doing.

His penmanship had never been great. He always wrote sloppily and he'd gotten by most of his classes with an elementary knowledge of calligraphy. But, even with how crude he knew the message was, he was sure that Shino would be able to take the message for what it truly was: A warning, a plea, and a promise.

Once he had finished scrawling in his rather pitiful penmanship, Kiba allowed the ink to dry before rolling up the scroll. And once it was rolled up, he looked up at the white dog.

Akamaru was seated, still facing the tavern. His shoulders were tense, his tail was wrapped around his legs, and his ears were perked up.

Kiba knew he was listening to all sounds that were coming out of the tavern. He knew the dog wanted to hear Shino and Hinata's voice for one last time. Kiba wanted that too.

"Akamaru." He called after a minute of waiting, causing the dog to huff but not turn to him. "I've got a mission for you. I think you're going to like it."

Akamaru huffed slightly and kept sitting forward. But Kiba waited for him to turn around, knowing his best friend well enough to know he'd turn around eventually. And, after a minute or two of silence, the dog slowly did so, eyes narrowed at Kiba.

The glare made Kiba wince internally, although he tried to not do so physically. It hurt to know that Akamaru was so opposed to what he was doing.

"I need you to take this scroll." Kiba began, offering the mentioned object to the pup. "Then you're going to go into that tavern, grab Shino, Naruto, and Hinata's attention, and, then, you're going to run like hell."

Akamaru took a moment to look at the scroll skeptically before he neared Kiba, biting it to hold it in his mouth. Once he had done that, Kiba allowed himself a small smile before he continued.

"I need you to get those three as far away from here as possible before they get to read my message. I don't want them anywhere near this place when the fighting begins..." With this the boy sighed heavily, shoulders dropping slightly. "I don't want them getting hurt."

With this small confession, the dark haired boy closed his eyes, tears stinging them once more. He could hear Akamaru move closer to him, but Kiba merely raised his hand and shook his head.

"Everything I have done, Akamaru, it's to keep my friends safe." He choked out, chest tightening at the reminder once more of what had been done to his body. "Now go. Kakuzu is bound to get here any minute. And I want them far, far away when he gets here. The last thing I need is for Naruto to try and act like a hero."

He could just imagine what Naruto would try to do if he saw Kiba with Kakuzu and Hidan. The damned fool would try to talk Kiba into going back to Konoha. And when that failed, he'd resort to trying to use his fists. Which would undoubtedly end in Naruto's ultimate demise.

Kiba _refused_ to have that weighing on his conscience.

He had enough things doing that already.

The boy waited until Akamaru had left him to open his eyes. And when he looked up, he found the small dog making his way up to the tavern. A sad smile made its way onto Kiba's face as he thought about the friends he used to have, then he picked up his pack, shouldered it, and jumped onto a nearby rooftop to remain unseen by the three genin he was essentially tricking to keep safe.

A pang of guilt hit him as soon as he heard Naruto shout out Akamaru's name, followed by Shino and Hinata gasping. And that guilt only grew when he found the white pup running out of the tavern at his top speed, immediately followed by the surprised and worried trio of genin.

He hadn't lied in the message. But he had omitted some of the truth. It's not like he could flat out tell his friends with who he was. That would undoubtedly put the organization at some kind of risk. And he was rather sure that he should try his best to keep from his friends from knowing the full truth.

Besides, it wasn't like he could admit to being part of a den of missing nins that took on unsavory jobs. He didn't have enough courage to do so.

Minutes passed with Kiba thinking about what he had just done. He had kept his friends safe... But did the end truly justify the means?

It had when Kiba had given his body.

This end... It _surely_ justified what he had just done.

He smelled Kakuzu and Hidan before he saw them. And when he was sure they were on the same rooftop as him, he didn't turn them. He didn't trust himself to keep his composure if he saw the two insane and violent men. Instead, he pointed at the tavern and directed them there.

"The target is in there. There are about fifteen other people inside with him."

From behind him, he heard Hidan begin to chuckle darkly.

A sense of dread began to build up inside him once more.

"Hn... You're not _completely_ worthless..." Kakuzu muttered softly, then scoffed. "Alright, kid. Come on."

Deep inside, Kiba wanted to deny the direct orders. Did Kakuzu really expect him to go down and be part of the kill? What could Kiba do? Stand there and be the bait?

But... His greatest worry was his friends and keeping them safe. And if by being a part of the kill itself he could help make it go faster, then he would really be doing his best to keep his friends from getting hurt.

Mechanically, he nodded. Then he followed after both members of the organization, eyes dark and heart heavy.

This was for his friends.

And that was all that mattered.

If he kept them safe... Then nothing else mattered.

He had already lost his body for this very reason after all. What else did he truly have to lose?


	25. The Target

"Akamaru! Stop running!" Naruto begged as he, Hinata, and Shino ran after the pup he had not seen in months.

They had been enjoying a simple and music filled lunch with Takeda and his caravan of performers. But as Naruto tried to get a laugh out of Hinata, the white dog had run into the tavern and over their food, his tail wagging animatedly and eyes shining brightly as he caused a mess.

Of course they had then chased after him without a second thought. They had already finished their mission, after all. The caravan had reached its destination without any complications. All that was missing was to get their payment, but that could be sought later on. It had been so long since either of them had heard any word of Kiba or Akamaru. They weren't about to pass up the chance to meet them again.

Naruto had honestly thought Akamaru was trying to lead them to a spot where they would find Kiba. Or maybe a hideout that they'd have to save Kiba from. He'd been expecting something exciting, adventurous.

But the dog had yet to stop running and they were quite a ways away from the village. And there was no end in sight to the dog's run.

"Akamaru! Please!" Hinata gasped out, "Stop running!"

But the pup didn't stop. And neither of the kids wanted to accidentally hurt the dog by trying to use any more creative methods to stop him. So they just chased after the dog, hoping that he'd eventually stop.

It took the animal a few minutes, but he eventually did. Among the cover of trees, the dog stopped running and turned to the three humans, tail wagging happily. And as soon as Hinata was close enough, he jumped into her arms, dropping the scroll in his mouth to begin to lick and kiss her.

The Hyuga giggled at the pup's affection, "I missed you too, Akamaru!"

"Akamaru! Am I glad to see you!" Naruto breathed out as ran up to Hinata, panting but smiling broadly, "I haven't seen you in so long!" Then he began to pat the pup's head, earning licks in return.

Shino allowed himself a small smile at the scene of both his friends and the dog, then crouched to pick up the scroll the pup had dropped. He unrolled it with hesitation and hope in his heart, hoping that this was a message from Kiba.

Reading over the sloppy scrawl that could only ever be Kiba's, Shino's heart began to swell with the first few sentences. Kiba and Akamaru were fine. Those two ninja hadn't hurt either of them. If anything, they treated the two right.

But midway through the scroll, Shino's swelling heart froze for a second, eyes going wide. He read and re-read the line over and over again, to make sure that he hadn't read wrong. And the more he read, the worse and worse Shino felt.

... That _fool_!

"We must go back."

He didn't tell his teammates anything else. He took off running without another word, worry for his idiotic best friend reaching a point that had his stomach lurching and his heart squeezed in a vice-grip.

* * *

When they entered the tavern, Kiba noted the dozens of innocent people that had the horrid luck of finding themselves in such an unfortunate place at such a horrible time.

As soon as they stepped in, Kiba was able to zero in on his target without any trouble. Or... At least... It hadn't been any trouble at first.

The man was a strong looking type of character with broad shoulders, tanned skin, dark hair, and muscles that spoke of having been built over a lifetime of work. All of these characteristics, Kiba had taken in without trouble. All of these he could understand in their target.

It had been the man's smile that had made him falter.

It was a kind smile, showing full teeth and even some dimples at the corner of his bearded lips. It was an earnest smile. An honest one.

Kiba's stomach immediately lurched because of the pure kindness he found in the man's face. How could a man with a smile that earnest possibly be a rogue ninja from the Mist?

"Kid."

A frown found its way onto Kiba's face when Kakuzu called him. His nose had never lied to him before. But... Wasn't there always room for mistakes? Maybe he was letting his harrowed emotions interfere with his skills...

Yeah... That must be it... Seeing his old friends again and having to take drastic measures to keep them safe must have thrown him off his game.

Feeling himself begin to shake at the idea of possibly angering Kakuzu, the boy stuttered out, "Th-there are a lot of scents... P-please... Give me a s-second."

What had he been reduced to? Stuttering like Hinata. Doubting his own abilities. Fearing every single person he interacted with.

This was not how an Inuzuka should act.

Maybe... No. He had to stop that line of thought before it even started.

With a deep inhale, Kiba chanced one more glance at the man he believed the scent to be coming from.

The man was laughing loudly now. Drinks were being passed around and a few men and women were singing a drinking song, combined with one or two instruments. Every single person inside the establishment was having a good time.

Nausea and unease began to eat away at him as he began to frantically search the tavern for anyone else. He hoped to find some seedy looking character that would undoubtedly be the rogue Mist ninja they were looking for. He hoped beyond hope that his nose was wrong and the kind looking man sharing his drink with a clearly in love woman wasn't who he was looking for.

There were no dangerous or looking men to find.

Only jubilant tavern goers.

Once more, Kiba's eyes fell on the man that seemed to be emitting the targeted smell. Now he was being part of the fun by beginning some kind of story in a warm and deep voice.

Kiba could feel the ground under him give way when Kakuzu began to walk in the man's direction.

But he didn't move at all to stop the man. His nose had led him to the smiling man. And while his eyes and ears could be fooled by genjutsu, Kiba was an Inuzuka. Their sense of smell was unparalleled. It was inconceivable to argue against it. Their noses were never wrong, could never be fooled. He had been stupid in hoping he was wrong.

"Hey, Takeda! Where'd our little minions go?"

The man had a name. An identity. Had built a life and formed relationships with others.

"They ran off after a dog!" The man- the target- answered with a soft smile on his face. "I do hope they come back... It would be a shame if they leave without saying goodbye." Then, he breathed out and looked towards the direction of the tavern's entrance. Towards Kiba. "They also need to receive their pay for having done such a swell job."

This... This couldn't be... His target was a man that had contracted his friends? His friends knew this man?

Kakuzu walked softly and proudly towards the man. His shoulders were squared and his head was high, giving off complete confidence as he did so.

The pit in Kiba's stomach grew the closer Kakuzu got to the man- to the target- and he soon felt Hidan rustle beside him.

"The fuckface will have a bit of fun with the target... While he does that, I'm going to give a few sacrifices to my god."

Hidan's joy at the very idea was almost palpable. And Kiba's heart stopped, his chest becoming cold.

The people around their target were still partying happily. They had yet to figure out the danger that was coming their way.

And the cold in Kiba's chest began to spread to the rest of his body.

The target's eyes fell on Kakuzu as the man grew even closer and Kiba's chest began to tighten, making breathing begin to hurt. Then, from Kakuzu, they moved on to Kiba... Those light eyes spoke volumes of different emotions. And the smile on his face never once faltered as he seemed to look into Kiba's _soul_.

Kiba wanted time to stop at that very moment.

He just wanted everything to freeze, all movements to halt. He wanted to be able to think about just what the hell was going on and what he was to do in it.

But Kakuzu was still walking calmly towards the target and Hidan was beginning to make his giddy way over to the innocent victims, blissfully unaware of the deranged psychopath targeting them. The oblivious men and women continued to drink and sing and the barkeep continued to serve them.

Everything was moving and there was nothing Kiba could do to stop it.

The idea of watching a massacre unfold before his eyes sickened the Inuzuka. The very _thought_ of blood made Kiba's stomach churn, his heart chill- even more than it had already chilled- and he began to feel almost weightless.

Hidan couldn't really be thinking of doing what he kept talking about... Right? He had _just_ healed from the fatal blow given to him by Kakuzu. He couldn't seriously be lusting for _more_ violence after that.

His whole body became numb as images of those partying innocents dying and succumbing at the hands of Hidan began to fill his mind. That one woman that kind of looked like Hana... Her head being severed from her body by a sadistically grinning psychopath.

Tears sprung up in his eyes the more he looked at her smiling face. She was oblivious to Hidan's ill intentions. They all were.

But what could he do to stop the carnage?

Hidan could stop him without any problem... And if he used the poison on him now, maybe Kakuzu would hurt him for having impaired his partner for something he may deem unimportant.

But... Maybe...

The boy's stiff legs began to move before he had even finished forming the thought.

Without worrying about the consequences of possibly pissing Hidan off, Kiba ran to the nearest occupant, a young man no older than his own sister with features that reminded him achingly of Ino, the blonde spitfire he'd never see again. The thought struck him deep in the heart, but didn't stop him from shouting, "Run! He's going to kill you!"

Most probably, if Hidan _hadn't_ reacted the way he had, the man would not have believed Kiba. But the silver haired psycho shouted at Kiba and brandished his large scythe, threatening with killing him right then and there.

In the back of his mind, Kiba began to wonder just how dumb the man must be if he thought _that_ was the best way to react to his plans being ruined. But he did not have too much time to truly process the thought before he was having to jump out of the way of the three-bladed scythe Hidan swung his way.

Chaos broke out after that.

Shouts of terror broke through the jovial party attitude that had been created in the tavern. Men and women screamed in terror and fear as they ran to escape the establishment before the scythe wielding maniac could touch them. They ran over one another, pushing and shoving to ensure their survival.

Amidst all of the havoc, Kiba noted that the man with the target's scent merely sat on his stool. His face remained smiling softly, not even flinching as his friends trampled over each other to be able to leave.

"The stories of my bounty are true then."

The boy's eyes widened as soon as the man spoke up, his voice smooth yet cold, like an icy river. It caught Kiba off guard and caused shivers to run up his spine.

"It's just business." Kakuzu commented with a shrug, finally coming to a stop before the man with his arms planted on his hips.

"You know... You are lucky that boy sent my performers running." The man spoke with an air of ease, hand waving slightly in the air. "If any of them had gotten hurt, I would have killed you all without any remorse." Then the target began to slowly get up, inhaling deeply before breathing out heavily, "Now I will just cripple you."

With these last words, the man smirked slyly, rolling his shoulders in preparation of what was to come.

Hearing those words, taking note of the man's features becoming almost dangerous... It all threw Kiba for a loop.

The man... He had _seemed_ so innocent and kind... Was he truly a rogue ninja? Could he really incapacitate Kakuzu and Hidan?

No... He couldn't! He seemed so kind! His eyes were so bright! His smile so kind! He was the complete opposite of...

Now Kiba's eyes widened and his breathing stopped.

Subconsciously, he had been comparing the man with the bastards that had hurt him. He had _forced_ himself to see the target as everything those monsters _hadn't been_. Blindly and unknowingly, he had allowed his past to influence his present. And, because of this, he had decided that this man must have been innocent, for he was the exact opposite of those bastards. He had allowed his eyes and mind to beat out his sense of smell, the only one he should ever truly pay attention to.

The only reason why he was able to break out of his reverie and sudden realization was because of the violent shaking Hidan decided to give him at that moment.

"You dirty little bastard!" The Jashinist roared, dark red eyes enraged. "You just cost me the favor of my Lord!"

Kiba's already foul physical state worsened at being manhandled by the man, but his eyes didn't even look at the man. Instead of focusing on the psychopathic murderer that would undoubtedly wish to punish him for costing him his kills, Kiba kept his gaze on the target.

With a sly smirk clear on his face, the man tipped over the tankard he had been drinking. Then, with hands blurring in a flurry of symbols Kiba couldn't make out, the man created a perfect clone out of the liquid. Both the man and the clone smirked proudly at the wide eyed look Kiba gave him, then they jumped onto the back of the bar and began to smash bottles and spread liquid throughout the establishment.

Immediately Kakuzu moved to stop them, jumping over the tavern as well, but a third clone appeared out of nowhere and pushed him to the far wall, effectively stopping him from reaching the men spreading all sorts of liquid around.

The fact that they were so set on throwing drinks everywhere confused Kiba greatly. So much so that he barely even heard Hidan's growling in his ear or felt the man's hands tightening around his shoulder, using so much force they'd surely leave a bruise. He was just too caught off guard by the man's techniques and strategy. It was unlike anything he had ever come across before.

"Hidan! Let the kid go and help with the bounty!" Kakuzu grunted as he fought off the clone that fought him, dodging and parrying all of his moves.

"And the field has been prepared! I don't really feel like ending this too quickly, so I won't impair your senses." The man smiled broadly as he looked at Kakuzu fighting with his clone, then jumped over the bar, his second clone following close behind.

Hidan, although Kakuzu had called on him for help, still held onto Kiba. He was still livid. And now that Kiba finally broke out of his reverie of staring at the man and looked at the Jashinist, he noted that the man must have broken skin because he could feel some kind of liquid begin to run down his arms.

"You have no idea what you have done, you little bastard." Hidan hissed, the pain sprouting up Kiba's arm making him wince and finally begin to try and move away from the Jashinist. "You just let them _all_ get away! You ungrateful son of a bitch!"

"L-Let me go..." Kiba's arms raised up to scratch at the man's left arm, but the grip was still strong and steady.

Hidan wasn't about to let him go just yet.

"You're going to see just why you can't pull this kind of shit with me, kid." The silver haired man smirked almost psychotically at this point, red eyes boring into Kiba's own with a very dangerous glint in them.

"Hidan!" Kakuzu barked out, "Leave him! The _target!_ "

"Shut up, you fucking-" Hidan began to shout out, craning his neck to send a glare at Kakuzu, and leaving an opening for Kiba.

The man's grip slacked only just slightly, but it was enough for the boy wrench himself out of it and crouch onto the floor, then jump away and roll to the side as soon as Hidan motioned to grab at him again.

"Come back here, you little-" The man growled as he went to follow after Kiba, only to suddenly be stopped by a kunai pointed at his throat.

Kiba's heart was beating loudly now that he noticed just how close to death he had been in the past few minutes and his breathing matched it in intensity. His eyes were wide as he stared in awe and shock at the man that had just halted Hidan's advance, the very man they had come to incapacitate so they could acquire money. And the man merely sent a wink in the Inuzuka's direction, his smirk staying in place as he addressed Hidan.

"I don't really understand just what's going on here... But I have some idea. You two bullies decided to use this kid for some reason and have the scared the poor thing shitless. That's not very nice, you know." He chided slightly, wagging the finger on his free hand with a shake of his head.

Kiba couldn't believe his eyes. The man had been on the _other side_ of the tavern less than a few seconds ago. Just how had he managed to cross that distance so quickly? And how had he done so and managed to sneak up on both him and _Hidan_? Wouldn't Kiba have at least been able to _smell_ him?

The pounding of his heart was loud in his ears, but Kiba's sense of hearing finally decided to pay attention rather than let his eyes take up all his attention. And it was because of this that he noticed the soft steps making their way to his direction.

Fear spiked up in his chest as reasoning went out the window, leaving him with illogical fears and worries.

Who could be heading his way? Hidan and Kakuzu were the dangerous ones! He shouldn't be targeted! He hadn't done anything other than track the bounty down!

"Those are some pretty odd marks..."

The observation was much too close to Kiba's liking. So the boy lashed out without a second thought, digging his hand into the poisoned kunai pouch quickly to then thrust the weapon in the direction of the voice.

His hand was caught immediately and dread began to seep into his bones as soon as that happened.

Was his life just a series of unfortunate events until death finally came to him? Was he really such a despicable person that he deserved to go through so many different kinds of hell, just to be killed in a heinous manner? He had already given up his body once! Must he lose it again in a more permanent manner!?

"Hey there, kiddo. I ain't going to hurt you. You seem like a nice enough kid, after all." The second clone of the man, the one that had helped him throw liquid and glass all over the tavern... What was he doing? Why was he talking to Kiba? Why did he seem to care?

"Just how did a kid like you wind up with people like them? You don't even seem underfed, like a street rat."

Kiba could do nothing more than stare in complete silence at the man, his jaw locked shut.

The man's scent was rather strong for this to be a clone. And it was with this thought that Kiba noticed that this _wasn't_ a clone. It was the target himself. And he had assigned his clones to fight off Hidan and Kakuzu.

With this thought, Kiba looked away from him and turned to the two men that were struggling in their battles, the clones they were fighting flickering in and out of existence in different locations to deliver some kind of hit before repeating their little act.

Kiba couldn't believe the speed in which those clones were fighting. And he couldn't believe that both Kakuzu and Hidan were struggling to keep up with them, for he had believed they would be just as fast as Itachi or Kisame. But they were slower and Hidan seemed to be even less refined than Kakuzu in his movements. Less graceful, more clunky.

A tug at his wrist reminded Kiba that his arm was still in the target's grip and he turned back to the man, expecting the worst, only to find the man smiling softly at him.

"You know... You look like you'd be a nice sidekick to have around. What do you say? Leave those two idiots and come join me as my little partner? I promise I don't threaten to kill my associates."

What... Just was was wrong with this man? How could he be so relaxed during a fight like this?

"I..." Kiba began to say, but immediately shut up when he heard a shout come from Hidan's direction.

Snapping his head in the direction of the man, Kiba sniffed at the air and followed the water clone's movements, finding a pattern. He was moving so fast that it was hard to keep track of the smell of the water clone, but, somehow, Kiba managed to do so.

"Hidan! Swipe left and upwards with your scythe!" Kiba barked, only to wince at the harsh tug at his hand as the man urged him to look back in his direction.

But Kiba wasn't about to look. Hidan and Kakuzu were in trouble. And although Kakuzu was holding up rather well with his clone, seeming to not be affected by any of the punches landed, Kiba knew it was only a matter of time before he too got injured.

"Kakuzu! Jump back then crouch!"

Both men followed Kiba's directions with huff and scoffs. Hidan arched his scythe in the very direction Kiba commanded and the clone flickered into existence in the very spot the boy had predicted, which meant the scythe connected with it and caused him to turn back into water. Kakuzu, in the meanwhile, jumped backwards and landed with narrowed eyes, then bent over backwards and dodged the clone's kick. With their momentum, Kakuzu grabbed onto the leg and threw the clone back, causing it to fly to the wall and smash back into its liquid state.

"Who'd have thought? The kid isn't _completely useless_!" Hidan managed to laugh, although he was bleeding profusely from various cuts on his body.

"What'd you do that for?" The target growled as soon as Hidan began to celebrate, wrenching Kiba's hand once more to make the boy look at him.

With a shout, Kiba looked at the man and found nothing but anger in his eyes. And Kiba had been around enough people in his life to know that from anger directed at him, he'd only find pain. Much like the pain that was shooting up both his arms now, pain that now mixed in with the one the man had caused by being so insistent. He didn't want to feel any more pain. He didn't want to hurt anymore.

"I... I..." Kiba stuttered out, then remembered he had his kunai gripped in his hand.

His wrist was being held tightly... But Sasori had said that just a simple cut should be enough... Right?

"I'm sorry!" He breathed in, then narrowed his eyes. "But I _have_ to do this!"

With this apology, the boy jumped forward, catching the man by surprise. Because of not expecting Kiba to jump on him, the man released Kiba's wrist. And this immediately allowed the boy to plunge the kunai into the target's shoulder, causing a sharp shout of pain to be released by him.

Kiba felt the man's legs move under him to kick him away, sending him flying to into the far wall of the tavern and slam harshly against it. His whole body impacted violently against it, making him give his own shout of pain as he fell onto the unrepentant ground below.

But the second hit never came.

Instead he found himself enveloped by something that was a thousand times softer than the floor, yet wasn't soft either. It was Kakuzu. The man had stopped him from hitting the floor.

"I can say that I understand why that one called you a little bastard now." The target growled as he got up from the floor, dark eyes narrowed and smirk replaced a very serious frown. "I shouldn't have underestimated you. I should have known no people like them would ever keep an innocent child with them."

Even through the pain beginning to take over his whole system, Kiba still managed to hear the insult. And he winced because of it, the idea of being seen as deserving of Kakuzu and Hidan's company hitting him in a way he shouldn't have allowed.

"Hey! Your fight's not with him! It's with us!" Hidan shouted to grab the man's attention, "I'll deal with him once you've been cashed in, huh? Now you don't have to worry about getting back at him because I'll do it for you!"

"Hidan! Stop playing and attack!" Kakuzu barked in annoyance as Hidan rolled his eyes and the man prepared himself to attack.

Both men were prepared to begin to fight, eyes shining with determination. And when they ran at each other, they did so without hesitation, dead-set on not losing. Kiba could barely keep his eyes open anymore, darkness beginning to creep into the edges of his vision, his body becoming numb to push out most of the pain that had begun to take him over.

But, even with that, Kiba was able to see when the target's body began to falter, his movements becoming sluggish until they completely stopped. Seeing this made Kiba smile softly, for he knew the poison had taken effect.

With this thought, he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

The squad of three and Akamaru ran back to the tavern as fast as they could. Akamaru had made them run rather far from the establishment, giving them very little possibility of being able to stop their foolhardy friend from hurting himself any further.

But they all pushed themselves to go as fast as they could, willed themselves to reach the village and find Kiba.

When they reached the tavern, they didn't hear the jovial sounds of music from before. This immediately worried Naruto and Hinata, although Shino didn't say anything as he took a moment to catch his breath, only to run into the building as soon as he had done so.

Hinata and Naruto had stopped beside him, out of breath from all the running and bodies begging for some kind of rest. But when they saw Shino run into the building, they both followed without hesitation.

The scene they found was something none of them wanted to come across.

The tavern seemed to have housed a water battle. Liquids of all kinds were strewn all along the floor, shards of glasses covering the floor as well. A few tables were broken and there was a dent in the wooden wall to the right. All in all, it wasn't a _bad_ scene. It certainly wasn't the bloodiest. But there was no soul in sight. Nobody could be found in this place.

They had missed Kiba.

"That fool!"

Both Hinata and Naruto were caught off guard by Shino's sudden shout and they turned to look at the bug nin.

His teeth were ground together and his fists were trembling at his side, his shoulders shaking with the controlled anger.

"That self-sacrificing _idiot!_ " The Aburame growled, suddenly throwing the scroll in his right hand at the wall with the dent. "How could he do this to us again?!"

Neither of his teammates had ever seen him act in such an uncontrolled manner. And after sharing looks of confusion, Naruto decided to finally ask what he had been wondering for the past minutes, "Huh? What do you mean, Shino? What did Kiba do?"

He knew this had something to do with the Inuzuka. From the way Akamaru had appeared out of nowhere with a scroll in his maw... Well... He'd have to be really stupid to not connect _those_ dots!

"Kiba has left us again." Shino ground out, anger laced into his words, "He's not coming home. And he asked us to keep Akamaru and to not try and hunt him down. He's _happy_ where he is!"

"What?" Hinata gasped, "That can't be true, Shino kun!"

Akamaru barked in agreement, growling at the Aburame. But the boy merely pointed a quaking finger at the scroll he had just thrown, "If you don't believe me, you can read his own words!"

"Fine! I'll read it! Because I know there's no way that Kiba would ever abandon his village!"

Naruto ran to the scroll and picked it up, immediately beginning to read it over. But his determined scowl faded into a distraught frown midway through the reading, then, by the end, he was shaking his head.

"No... This can't be!"

"Naruto kun!" Hinata looked at him with wide eyes, "It can't be true!"

Akamaru barked at the blonde, but Naruto only shook his head, tears beginning to shine in his eyes.

"Akamaru... Kiba's left you to us... He doesn't want you to go back with him."


	26. Innocent

Kiba awoke to a soft rustle beside him and the sounds of the forest at night. There was the faint sound of rushing water coming from the far right, but he didn't focus too much on that. The pounding headache and sore back that were screaming at him kind of beat out the survey of his environment.

"If it were up to me-"

"You already heard Pein, you idiot! The boy is not to be harmed! We're already in big trouble for having let him take part in the fighting. I don't need you trying to sacrifice him being added into my problems!"

Kakuzu and Hidan weren't shouting. But they weren't whispering either. Their voices were a bit muddled, though, and Kiba attributed that to the hit to the head he had received a few minutes before he had completely blacked out.

"But he cost me those-" Hidan tried to whine, but Kiba soon heard a sharp slap and a shout of pain ring out. "Fuck face!"

"You got your sacrifices! The kid wasn't awake to see it, and, quite frankly, I'm kind of happy he didn't get to see what you did to those people. Hidan, there is such a thing as going too far."

"I didn't go too far! Those kills had to be extra brutal to be able to appease my Lord's anger."

"Hidan... Those things you did... That was _too_ _far_ and you know it."

Kiba had no idea what those two were talking about. And his pain fogged brain was much too out of it to piece everything together at the moment. All he could do was keep his eyes closed and try to maintain his breath steady, all the while the pain coursing through his body left him thinking about a horrible time he would much rather never think about ever again.

This pain wasn't the same as the last type he was subjected to... But it was still pain. It still traveled up his body and through his heart, piercing it, leaving it aching.

It was at this moment that Kiba decided that he despised physical pain. And, if it were up to him, he would never allow anyone to hurt him ever again.

He would have to begin to train even harder with Hiruko and Kisame to make sure he would never fall to this kind of pain ever again.

"Well, I don't know what we're hanging around here for..." Hidan mumbled after a beat of silence, then Kiba heard further rustling come from his side. "We already have the money from the bounty. We could just start heading back to the hideout without wasting any more time if you're really so desperate to get the kid back to the leader."

There was a soft grunt from Kakuzu, then Kiba felt something soft brush against his forehead.

"I don't want to run the risk of getting back there and the kid not being conscious. You know just how bad Konan or Pein would react to seeing him like this. Especially after the big warning they gave you."

"They warned you too..." Hidan's voice almost sounded like a whine, as if he were a child that knew he had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Yeah, they did... But I'm not the one they'll blame for his condition and you know that. If anyone's going to get punished for what happened to him today, it'll be you."

There was an annoyed growl from Hidan's direction and Kiba swore he heard Kakuzu chuckling softly. Then he felt something else brushing against his arm, lifting it up to turn it over in calloused hands.

"That's not fair! I didn't do anything to hurt him!"

"Hidan..." Kakuzu sounded annoyed and tired.

"Fuck face..."Hidan, on the other hand, seemed to have an endless well of energy when it came to being an annoyance.

"You were the one to grab him after he scared off your victims. You were the one to break skin and cause his arms to bleed. Sure, the target may have been the one to knock him out, but if it hadn't been for you being so preoccupied with making him pay, he'd most probably never even have gotten hurt."

Kakuzu's voice sounded closer at this point, and once he'd finished talking, whatever had been used to lift Kiba's arm up slowly lowered it back to the ground. Then Kiba found his hand back on the ground and a soft hand sliding out from under it.

"But!"

"Dammit, you idiot! Can you please just stop arguing for once in your life?!" The shout from Kakuzu seemed to be enough to shut Hidan up for the moment for Kakuzu continued with, "Now I'm sure he's only a few hours from waking up, which means we'll be able to head back to the organization's H.Q. after that. I'm going to go and bathe by that waterfall. If he wakes up, I want you to keep your mouth shut and come and get me."

"But-"

Hidan's shout was cut off by a sharp slap resounding across the forest. Apparently Kakuzu wasn't in the mood for the man's childishness anymore. But he most probably didn't want to waste any energy in killing him either. So slapping the man seemed to be the next best thing.

Kiba's mind was slowly getting back into the swing of processing information, although it was slowly. And by the time he had finally understood the fact that Kakuzu had just left him alone with an undoubtedly ticked off Hidan, the man was far gone.

Slowly, Kiba's sense of smell began to come back to him. And with it came being able to smell Hidan's scent. And this one was so overrun by the smell of death and blood that Kiba had to stop himself from gagging and crying out.

Minutes of pure silence passed in which the boy did his best to remain as still as possible, forcing his body to stay as motionless as it could, while his mind raced.

The men's conversation from before. It meant a lot. He was sure of it. So he began to run it over, his much less foggy mind now being able to process some of the underlying meanings he had missed when they had spoken.

Okay... First of all, Kakuzu had said something about 'they' warning both Hidan and Kakuzu to not let any harm fall onto Kiba. Could they mean their higher ups? The people that bossed them around? But... Kiba had only heard of _one_ leader. Could there possibly be more? And why would they be so adamant about him not getting hurt?

Wait a minute... Kiba could remember Kakuzu muttering Konan and Pein. Pein? Who could that be? And did this mean that Konan was a leader of the organization?

It seemed that for every question he formulated, five more popped up. And he barely ever received any answers.

For a moment, Kiba pondered if he should try and decipher what had been said between Hidan and Kakuzu about sacrifices. But one sniff at the air and having to suppress the gag rising up in him and Kiba knew that he didn't want to think on it. Not if he wanted to maintain the small amount of peace he had managed to gain from breathing in and out to concentrate.

"You're really fucking lucky Kakuzu's here to watch after you."

Panic began to bubble up in Kiba as Hidan's scent became almost overwhelming, the man much too close to his body. But he tried to squash that panic down, telling himself that he was feigning to be asleep and Hidan didn't know he was awake.

A few seconds of silence stretched out and Kiba thought he would be safe for the moment. Then Hidan spoke up once more and shattered his hopes.

"I know you're awake, idiot. And I know you've been awake for a while." The man took a moment to breathe in, then he continued, "Open your damn eyes. You honestly look like an even bigger retard than you actually are by trying to act as if you're sleeping."

A small voice in the back of his head told Kiba that, if he kept his eyes closed, then the monster that was Hidan wouldn't be able to get to him. But that childish voice was immediately stamped down by the knowledge of how dangerous Hidan truly was. So, with sweat beginning to bead on his forehead, the boy cracked one eye open.

A starry night sky was the first thing that met him. And if he had been with anyone other than Hidan, then Kiba would have commented about how beautiful it was. But seeing how he was with Hidan, the boy chose to keep his mouth shut.

The next thing he noted was that Hidan was covered by blood. His cloak was torn and ripped up, reminding Kiba of how cloth would tear when someone grasped it much too firmly. And the man was smirking calmly, the complete opposite of what the boy had come to expect from him.

He had thought Hidan would be pissed off and cursing him out for having scared off the people in the tavern.

He must have done something to make up for it to seem so happy...

Bile began to rise in Kiba's stomach at the very thought of what the man could have done to make up for it.

"I bet you're wondering just why I'm not trying to rip your head off right now." The silver haired man gave Kiba a toothy smile after he had said this, "Well I was able to replace all of those souls you owed me. It was rather fun, you know. Challenging even. Those mercenaries sure know how to scrap!"

The man's words were spoken with complete pride and happiness, something that made Kiba's stomach begin to churn at the very idea of what had happened to Hidan's victims.

He had thought Hidan would be annoyed with him for having warned the tavern goers of his ill intentions. He even though he would be prepared for the repercussions that would undoubtedly come. He was ready to get his ass handed to him for having gotten in the way of something that was so obviously important to the man. But he certainly had not been prepared for the man to be so calm and seemingly relaxed.

"You know... I can't understand why you stopped me from killing those performers. It's not like you knew any of them." Hidan stated conversationally, then crouched beside the boy with a quirked eyebrow, "Did you?"

"I-I..." Kiba wanted to tell the man that he had no wanted to take part in a massacre, no matter who it was. If he knew them or not didn't matter. He refused to be part of senseless killing. But he couldn't formulate the words. Not with the man's uncharacteristic calmness throwing him for such a loop.

The man's red eyes bore into Kiba's own for what seemed to be an eternity, as if searching for the answer Kiba wasn't able to create. Then, much to the boy's surprise, the man began to _laugh_ while shaking his head.

"You actually care about people! That's fucking hilarious!"

His boisterous laughter caught the Inuzuka completely off guard. This man was... _Not right_. He must be completely unhinged if anything. Especially if he was laughing because of Kiba caring for other people.

"Let me guess, you stopped me because you didn't want anyone getting hurt, didn't you?" Hidan mocked, throwing himself back onto the floor as he did so, "That's just-Oh! It's too fucking good!"

Then he fell into a huge fit of laughter that seemed to have no end in sight. The man kicked out his legs and clutched at his stomach, as if what he had said was the most hilarious thing he had thought of in his life.

At first, Kiba could only stare at the man.

The young boy now looked at Hidan with both of his eyes widened slightly, not completely sure if what he was seeing was truly what was happening. Then, the more time Hidan spent on the floor laughing, the more annoyed the kid became. And as time passed and Hidan refused to shut up, Kiba was able to sit himself up, glare at the man, and finally find his voice.

"That's not funny!" He managed to shout, immediately catching Hidan's attention. "How can slaughtering innocents _ever_ be fun?"

Once more they fell into silence. But this time, Kiba had no idea just what could happen. Hidan wasn't smiling anymore. But he wasn't glaring at Kiba either. He was just... _Staring_ at the boy. Looking into his eyes. Piercing his very soul with those oddly colored eyes.

A chill went down the Inuzuka's back the more Hidan stared at him, the burst of anger that had prompted him to speak up receding and leaving him regretful for having said anything. But Hidan wasn't saying anything... Instead he was just _looking_ at him. And this made Kiba fidget uncomfortably and look away.

He hated the silence they had fallen into. And the only way to break it was to get the man talking again... So, after swallowing deeply to try and recover some bravery, the boy opened his mouth once more. "Th-they... I mean... They were innocent." He began, eyes focused on the trees in front of him rather than the man that was most probably staring at him. "How can you kill someone that has done nothing wrong?"

His voice was just above a whisper. If Hidan hadn't been paying attention to him, then he most probably wouldn't even have heard the boy speak up. And as the seconds of silence stretched in front of them once more, Kiba began to believe that the man hadn't heard him at all.

Then Hidan actually spoke up. And, once more, he managed to surprise Kiba by _not_ becoming enraged.

"How do you know they're innocent?"

"Wait- what?"

Kiba blinked as he looked back at Hidan, only to find that the man was sitting up on the floor, his legs crossed beneath him with arms crossed over his chest. The man's face wasn't in its customary sneer or smirk, and instead seemed to hold an amused smile. And this was odd because... Why would the man be amused with what Kiba had just said?

"I mean, for you innocent means good, right?" Hidan asked, prompting a shaky and uneasy nod from the tattooed boy. "And by you asking me how I could kill someone innocent, you're really asking me how could I kill someone that was _good_..." Then the smile became just a bit more twisted, but not insane enough to even seem like it belonged on Hidan's face. "But, the thing is, you're parting from the premise that these people you saved _weren't_ bad."

Then the man quirked his eyebrow and dropped the smile, adopting a more quizzical look on his features, "But, let me ask you: How do you know they were good people?"

Kiba was caught completely off guard by how _intelligent_ Hidan sounded at the moment, how incredibly _sane_ he seemed.

But... No! Those people had been good people! Kiba was sure of it. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that they didn't smell of blood or death. They didn't even smell of metal or poisons... Like nothing one could find in a person that caused harm in others. And this he was sure of from the experiences he had had with people that were dangerous and smelled like this.

"They _were_ good people!" Kiba whispered to himself, looking down at his hands and away from Hidan.

"That wasn't what I asked you, kid." Hidan breathed out easily, then continued, "I asked _how_ you know they were good people? I mean," Then the man clicked his tongue in thought before snapping his fingers, as if he had found the words he had lost, "How do you know they weren't bad people? How are you so sure that they weren't sadists that would torture you to death if given the chance?"

The very thought of people as seemingly nice as those people... No! "They were good people! They didn't smell of blood! They-"

"Blood, huh?" Hidan interrupted, causing Kiba to look at him with wide and frightened eyes. "Is that how you identify people? By how they _smell_?"

This was when Kiba noticed that Hidan had known nothing about him other than him being a tracker. And he had just allowed him to know how he identified people. He had just given away one of his greatest strengths without a single thought.

"So you can smell the blood on people? Guess that makes sens... You're terrified of Kakuzu and I after all. We should be inundated with that kind of smell..." The silver haired man let loose a few humored chuckles at this thought, but he soon shook his head and brought the conversation back to the initial topic. "So they didn't smell like blood. What does that mean, really? They could be the kind that keep their hands clean by making others do their dirty work. They could be manipulative bastards without a single good bone within their body."

The fact that Hidan was so nonchalant about these horrible scenarios helped Kiba in _no_ manner. Seeing the man being so calm about an issue that caused so much worry and internal struggles in Kiba only made the boy feel extremely vulnerable. And he had no idea how he was supposed to react.

What the man was saying... _To an extent_ , made sense. But if what he was saying was true then... He _hadn't_ saved innocents. He'd saved criminals. But that made no sense! They didn't smell like criminals! They didn't smell like bad people!

It didn't make any sense!

"But..." Kiba struggled to swallow the lump in his throat, then looked up at Hidan with wide eyes. "Why are you saying this? Why are you telling me all of this?"

The man didn't seem to be the least be affected, even though Kiba literally felt like he was being shattered into pieces. Instead Hidan kept his cool air about him and a simple smile on his face as he leaned back slightly.

"Why? Simple, really. I'm opening your eyes to the truth." The man answered with a decisive nod, "How are you so sure that those people were innocent? How are you so sure they were _good_ people?" Then he smirked at Kiba, regaining that cocky aura Kiba had hoped he would eventually adopt so he could have a _drop_ of familiarity in this unreal situation. "Fuck kid, haven't you heard? _No one_ is free of sin!"

They weren't _bad_ people! Kiba was sure of this!

"But who are you to decide who dies?!" Kiba shouted out of desperation, tears stinging his eyes the more he looked at the man that was completely sure of himself. "You have no right!"

"Wrong!" The Jashinist jumped up with a sudden burst of energy that prompted Kiba to jump away, fear filling him once more. "I don't have a right to be _prejudiced_ in my killing!" Hidan shouted, then smirked once more and rolled his shoulders, as if to show that he wasn't about to jump and attack Kiba.

But the boy made no move to go back to where he had once sat. He just remained with his legs pulled up to his chest and his hand grasping the poisoned kunai in the pouch on his leg.

"The difference between what I do and what the _really_ bad bastards do, kid..." The man then began to walk towards Kiba, slowly but surely.

Inch by inch, Kiba's sense of smell was overcome with the smell of blood and death that radiated from Hidan, filling up his nose and overwhelming it completely. And once he was right in front of the boy, the silver haired man dropped down and smiled broadly, almost insanely.

Kiba had to _force_ his hand to stay down and _not_ stab Hidan with all of his strength.

"The _biggest difference_ is that I don't give a _damn_ who I'm killing. Innocent or guilty, I murder everyone the same." Hidan's hand then came up to cup Kiba's jaw, his eyes never leaving the boy's own.

Kiba felt his whole body freeze as soon as the man's cold hand made contact with it. And he was so terrified he couldn't make any words.

"You're just a lost little lamb surrounded by _deranged wolves_... Aren't you? So _young_ and _innocent_." The man remarked, then scoffed with a shake of his head. "It's fucking _adorable_."

No thoughts came into the boy's mind. Panic was ringing out all around, telling him that Hidan was going to hurt him if he didn't make any moves first. But, even if he had wanted to stab Hidan, his hand would not move. His body was completely frozen. His heart beat loudly in his chest and his breathing came out ragged... He _hated_ feeling like this.

"Hidan."

The man's eyes didn't leave Kiba's as he answered the newest arrival.

"What's up, fuck face?"

Kiba hadn't even heard the man walk back to them... Hadn't even _smelled_ him. The repugnant smell wafting from Hidan completely overtook his senses, drowning out any possibilities of smelling anything else.

The only reason why Kiba had yet to convulse at the sheer smell was because of how paralyzed with fear he had become.

"Step away from the kid. _Now_." Kakuzu growled lowly, tone final and devoid of any room for argument.

For a moment, Kiba found himself thinking that, if Kakuzu were to want to, he wouldn't mind the man spearing and killing Hidan like he had hours before. At least then the horrible stench coming from him would be overcome by _pure death._ That way he wouldn't be bombarded with blood _and_ death.

"I didn't hurt him in any way, cheap bastard." Hidan winked at Kiba as he stood up, taking a step back to turn and face his partner fully. "He's fine. See? No further injuries."

Kakuzu's bright green eyes looked Hidan over before they scanned Kiba, who remained paralyzed with fear clear on his features.

"I see..." The man muttered, keeping his eyes on Kiba for a second longer before he turned to Hidan once more. "We can head back to the base then. Pack your shit up."

Kiba was scrambling and rushing back to his pack and making sure he had everything he had come with before Kakuzu even needed to give him the order.


	27. Conversations

"Akamaru."

The pup looked up at the bug infested teen with slightly narrowed eyes, still huffing over the very idea of _his_ Inuzuka actually leave him.

"Would you like me to read the whole letter?"

With a bark and a nod, Akamaru sat himself beside the Aburame. His head was positioned in a way that he could look at the human teen without too much complication and his body was tensed. He wanted to make sure he heard everything. He wanted to be able to understand just why _his_ human had given him up so easily.

"Hey, guys. It's Kiba. Although you should already know because you reading this means Akamaru gave it to you." The male began, voice once more regaining the composure it had lost when he had allowed himself to shout out in anger. "Those two men that helped us have been good to Akamaru and I. I can walk again. My body's healed really well. They've taken me under their wing... Kind of. I'm learning all sorts of new things. You'd be surprised with how good of a learner I can be when I keep my mouth shut."

Once Shino had said this, Akamaru scoffed and shook his head slightly, letting his disdain for Kiba's words show. Hinata and Naruto shared a look of worry at this but said nothing and allowed the Aburame to continue.

"Listen, I'm not going to sugar-coat anything. I'm happy here. I'm learning. I'm treated well." After he said this, the sunglassed boy sighed softly and shook his head, "I'm not going back to Konoha. It just doesn't feel right. I'm good over here. But Akamaru isn't. And I want you to keep him with you, take him back to Konoha and to the clan. I shouldn't have kept him away from his pack for so long."

 _His_ pack? Akamaru growled at the very thought of Kiba trying to deny the fact that it was _their_ pack.

Shino stopped reading to allow Akamaru a moment to bark and growl out all of his anger, then took a chance and raised his hand to lightly pat at the pup's head. With the first pat, Akamaru turned to glare at the Aburame. But when the boy didn't let up and merely continued to pat softly at his head, the dog eventually relented and allowed himself to be calmed by the ginger touches.

"Don't have him chase after me. And don't try to follow me yourselves. Believe me when I say that I'm fine. And I trust you with Akamaru. We're Team 8, after all. A family. And I know I can trust my family."

After he had finished reading the message, the Aburame over to his left and to his team members. Naruto sat on the other side of the steps that led into the tavern, while Hinata stood in front of both of them. The blonde was frowning heavily and Shino could tell from his tensed body that he was prepared to run after the wayward Inuzuka. Hinata, on the other hand, was sad. She didn't show it, but Shino knew she wanted to burst into tears.

She had grown since they had left Kiba behind. She did not show her sadness as easily as before.

Akamaru looked up at all of these kids and couldn't help but _not_ feel the urge to follow after Kiba. He knew it was wrong. He felt guilty for it. But... He _wanted_ to go back _home_. He wanted to be around Kuromaru and the Haimaru Brothers. He wanted to run around the house he had called his own until Kiba had struck up this _stupid deal_. And he knew he was supposed to be the loyal Inuzuka nin dog...

A soft whine escaped him before he could really stop it.

But... What was he supposed to do now? Kiba clearly didn't want him to stay. And Akamaru knew it was because the boy was so stupid he wanted Akamaru to be comfortable and happy. And he believed that would only happen if the pup was returned to his home. He'd been given an order: Go back home and forget about all of this.

But how could he forget about his best friend? His _brother_?

Now the implications of leaving Kiba behind began to seep into Akamaru. He wouldn't be able to protect him anymore. Dumb Shark would be able to hurt him without anyone stopping him. Bitch Face might try something now that Akamaru wouldn't be there to guard Kiba and help calm his racing emotions. Blood Bag may just get to murder him...

He couldn't leave Kiba behind!

As soon as he was about to bolt and run in the direction he could smell Kiba had gone, Shino's hands wrapped around his body and brought him up to the boy's chest. And quietly, the boy whispered, "I know you want to run after him. But we must be smart about how we wish to proceed... Akamaru, I believe I have a plan."

The fact that Bug Breath was whispering this and keeping his voice low enough to not be heard by the other humans made Akamaru falter in his struggling and pay attention. And hearing that he had a plan... The pup looked up at eyes that were covered by sunglasses and noticed the emotions hidden inside.

Shino wanted to help.

Kiba wouldn't listen to him... He refused to break the dumb deal he had made. But... Maybe he'd listen to another human...

With a slight nod, Akamaru stopped struggling altogether.

Bug Breath nodded as well before he placed the dog on the floor once more, then turned to the other two humans. "We will head back to Konoha."

"What do you mean, Shino? We should go after him! He's only got a few hours on us! We should be able to catch up to him if we don't stop!" Naruto shouted out after Shino had given the order, causing the other male to shake his head.

"We are still on a mission, Naruto." Then he turned to Hinata and spoke to her, effectively cutting off any retort from the fiery blonde, "You have a question."

"Shino kun... Will we tell the Hokage about this? About what Kiba kun wants? What he's done?" Hinata questioned softly, eyes wide as she looked at the boy.

"Yes." Shino nodded, then looked down at Akamaru. "But we will keep the more incriminating bits to ourselves. She is not to know that Kiba made the decision to not return to Konoha. That would prompt her to strike him as a missing nin. He is _not_ an outlaw. He does not deserve that fate." He explained.

And Naruto blew up, having reached his limit of silence.

"Just _what the hell_ is going on here?! What happened to Kiba? And why are you so being so secretive? Why are we _not_ running after him? Why are we returning to the Leaf when we are in the perfect position to bring him back with us?" The blonde shouted, glaring at the other male. "What's going on?"

But the other teen barely reacted to his shouts. Shino merely stared back at Naruto before answering with a cool, "Let's get going. I will explain everything on the trip. We have two weeks worth of traveling, after all."

And he didn't allow Naruto to try and stall him any further. The boy turned around and patted his leg, signalling for Akamaru to follow, then began to walk away and in the direction of their village.

Naruto had wanted to shout and run after him, to stop him from walking away. But then Hinata had followed as well and he'd been left with no other choice than to go along with the Aburame's barely explained plan.

* * *

As they had made the run back to the base, Kiba had made sure to stay ahead of both men. And Kakuzu, in turn, had made sure to stay in between the boy and Hidan, in the very middle of their three man formation to ensure no harm coming from the Jashinist. And for this, Kiba was grateful.

His mind was still reeling from the talk he had been given by the crazed man. He just... He couldn't wrap his head around the whole idea of killing just for _fun_. How could anyone ever be amused by blood and death? By the suffering and agony of others? How could anyone ever by amused by _torturing_ another human being?

It took all of his strength and will power to keep himself from bursting into tears with those thoughts.

_"No one is free of sin."_

Religion had never been a big part of his life growing up. Konoha didn't have that many religious organizations and the Inuzuka clan had always believed in a connection to nature itself, not some spiritual entities. This meant that Kiba had always had a rather elementary way of seeing things when it came to karma. You did good things, good things would happen to you. But if you were bad, eventually you'd get your ass handed to you.

That had always been one of the reasons why he wanted to be a ninja. Because he would be a soldier. And he'd be fighting the good fight.

But... His once childish belief of how the world worked had been shattered as soon as those monsters had put their hands on him. He could understand that getting captured and tortured was part of the ninja life... But he'd never fully processed the thoughts behind those actions. He'd always seen those that tortured as the enemy and, because of this, as bad people. And bad people would eventually get taken down.

But Hidan was still standing. He was _immortal_. He was a murderer and he was immortal.

So bad people could do bad things to good people and still have good things happen to them? _Why_?

He had been so deep in his thoughts that Kiba hadn't noticed Kakuzu move up and closer to him. And because of this, when the man laid a hand on Kiba's shoulder, the boy's mind reverted to when those bastards had grabbed him by that same shoulder to shove him down and chain him up.

Before he could even think about what his body was doing, Kiba found himself lashing out at the hand and swiping at it with his now long fingernails, managing to break through the skin.

" _Don't touch me_!"

The snarl was almost inhuman. Even to his own ears.

Kakuzu was caught completely off guard by Kiba attacking him suddenly. So much so that the boy, still tensed and prepared for any kind of retaliation, was able to jump away from him.

When his mind finally caught up with what he had done, Kiba went from fearing getting raped to fearing getting _killed_. Kakuzu's hand was bleeding rather profusely. And the man was only staring at Kiba with wide eyes, unmoving.

From behind Kakuzu, Kiba heard Hidan begin to chuckle.

"The kid managed to get you? You must be getting senile and slow in your old age, Kuzu!"

The fact that Hidan seemed so unaffected by Kiba's reaction did nothing to make the boy's thoughts become less frazzled. He knew he had messed up. Hurting Kakuzu was like _asking_ to get killed. He was sure of it. And there was nothing he could do to stop the man. And he was more than aware of the fact that Hidan wouldn't lift a finger to stop the man either.

In the back of his mind, the boy noted how a new scent had neared them. But he didn't allow himself to think too much on it because Kakuzu had yet to make any move.

Adrenaline began to rush through him as his eyes stared back at Kakuzu's own, body preparing to bolt and run away as far was needed to keep his life. And when Kakuzu's wounded hand moved upwards, he didn't spare a single thought. He began to run away.

But he didn't get too far.

Although he wasn't stopped by someone he'd expected.

The sound of metal clanking together and the joints of a puppet moving filled up the tense silence that had fallen over the three, then Kiba found his body being dragged through the air and away from Kakuzu and Hidan. When he looked down at what had wrapped around him, relief washed over his body. He recognized this metallic contraption. He rejoiced in it being near.

Kiba was met with a very calm and quiet Hiruko when he finally stopped being moved. The man stood at the front of the organization's base, the large door behind him open.

"H-Hiruko?" He asked dumbly, although he was sure this was indeed the man that opted to wear the puppet armor rather than allow people to see what he actually looked like.

The scent that filled his senses was familiar and warmed his body in a way that made him almost instantly forget about having hurt Kakuzu just a few seconds ago.

"You are an hour late." The man's voice growled out as the puppet's eyes looked down at Kiba, "You will spend an hour more in the workshop to make up for the lost time."

Kiba wanted to cry out and tell Hiruko that he didn't care if he had to spend _a hundred_ more hours in the workshop... He was glad he was finally in the company of someone he _knew_!

The smile that made its way onto the boy's face was honest and broad, Kiba finally feeling _safe_ for the first time since he had been given his mission.

"Oy, Puppet fucker! What do you think you're doing with the kid?"

Too bad Kiba's relief was so short lived. He had been enjoying not feeling like he was a second away from dying.

Hiruko's joints clicked softly, much softer than the first time Kiba had ever heard them, and the puppet's head looked up in the direction he had pulled Kiba from. And when the boy chanced a look behind himself, he found that Hidan and Kakuzu were heading straight towards them. Hidan looked much more amused than irritated... But Kiba couldn't read Kakuzu's own facial expression. But, even with the mask that covered most of his face, the boy thought that the man's eyes weren't as inflamed as they should have looked.

"You were taking too long to return to the base." Hiruko explained gruffly, the metallic tail around Kiba's waist tightening just slightly the closer Hidan got.

Kiba didn't blame the puppeteer for being worried about him when around the silver haired man... He was still terrified of the man losing his composure and trying to kill him.

"The leader wanted me to make sure you had not harmed the boy." After the man had said this, Kiba found himself being suspended into the air once more, then moved as Hiruko began to walk away. "You are to head straight to the leader and report on your mission."

Instead of fighting over being carried away by Hiruko and kept in the dark as to just why Hiruko had appeared when he had, Kiba allowed himself to be taken by the man. Even though the metallic contraption currently wrapped around his waist was a dangerous weapon that could undoubtedly crush him without any problem, Kiba felt a thousand times safer with it around him. It was a clear sign to Hiruko being here. And this meant that Hidan nor Kakuzu would be able to harm him.

"What? Hey, you hunchbacked fucker, get back here! You don't tell me what to do! I do whatever the fuck I want!" Hidan shouted after Hiruko's retreating form and Kiba couldn't help but flinch just slightly.

This man was insane. And he was Hiruko and Itachi's coworker. Just what kind of people were they truly if this was the company they chose to keep?

"Shut up, Hidan." Kakuzu's growl was barely more than a whisper, but Kiba managed to hear it. And a shiver ran through him at just how cold his voice sounded.

He honestly expected Kakuzu to stop Hiruko and force the man to leave Kiba so he could punish the boy for having hurt him. The blood from his hand still flowed and stained the sleeves of his cloak, after all. And Kiba completely expected the man to get some kind of vengeance for the offense the Inuzuka had committed.

But the deeper Hiruko walked him into the organization's base, the more Kiba began to wonder just how badly he had screwed up to have Kakuzu _not_ follow after him.

The thought that Hiruko might be someone that Kakuzu didn't want to mess with didn't cross his mind. Not even once. And this was because the boy was terrified of just what kind of hell Kakuzu was thinking of putting him through because of the wound the boy had inflicted.

Only the soft footfalls and slight clicking of Hiruko's moving parts broke the silence that filled the long hallway. Kiba was much too busy cursing his impulses and lack of thoughts before acting to truly think of saying anything to the man that had essentially saved him.

Kakuzu would most probably torture him slowly... He seemed like the kind of person that would do that. But he wouldn't be all psychotic about it, like Hidan. He'd most probably go for mental torture to make a person's mental state deteriorate rather than break their body down like how Hidan would undoubtedly prefer to do it. He'd most probably drag it out over a long period of time to make sure his victim was completely broken down before he would swoop in with the harsh, final blow.

"Inuzuka."

The thoughts of the terrifying methods Kakuzu might use to drive him insane were stopped by a sudden squeeze to his body. The squeeze reminded the boy that he was with Hiruko and not alone, with an _ally_.

Looking down at the man, Kiba found himself face to face with the puppet's dark eyes once more. He was a few inches from touching the floor, still suspended in the air by the metallic tail.

"I will take you to the leader later on so you can give your own report of the mission. But, until then, you are to continue on your practice." Hiruko informed the youth, then finally set him down on the floor lightly. "Now, you were supposed to move onto the third chakra thread before you went off on your mission. I hope you are prepared to continue."

Blinking slightly at the man, Kiba stayed in the same spot. He knew Hiruko was a quiet sort of person and that he didn't pry _too much_. But... Why wasn't he asking Kiba about everything that had happened during the mission? Wasn't he curious as to how the Inuzuka had managed to perform? Wasn't he curious about just what had happened and how they had gotten their target so quickly?

"If you wish to tell me about your mission, I will not stop you." The man spoke up after a second or so of Kiba not moving, beginning the process of coming out of the puppet armor. "But I wish to continue your training as soon as possible and do not have the time to waste on trivial questions you will be answering in your report."

The answer was slightly detached, but was missing the bite that Hiruko's voice usually adopted whenever around any of the other members of the organization. For some reason, Hiruko just didn't sound as serious when it was only Kiba, if that made any sense.

"Wait... You'll be there for my report?" The boy asked, the last bit of Hiruko's words catching his attention. "Why?"

Once the pink haired man had fully stepped out of his puppet, he'd turned to Kiba with a stern gaze. And with a slightly quirked eyebrow, he'd answered, "Because I asked to be there to make sure you gave a proper report. I will not have you half-assing on any of your duties. Am I understood?"

The fact that Hiruko had taken so much interest in teaching him made Kiba wonder just _why_ he cared at all. But he didn't dare question it. From the lack of Itachi and Kisame's scent in the hallways, he could tell that they had yet to come back from their own mission. And this meant that Hiruko was the only ally he could turn to in case anything went wrong.

"Yes." He nodded immediately, his body suddenly feeling rather loose.

From being overly tensed up, his body now felt as if it were a few seconds from collapsing because of how _relaxed_ he suddenly felt. "Uh, Hiruko? Do you think I could take a small nap before we-" He was interrupted by a yawn escaping him before he could try to stop it.

As soon as he had yawned, the boy had begun to worry that Hiruko would grow angered with him. But instead of scolding the Inuzuka for not going straight into practicing his control with his chakra, the man merely walked up to the boy and looked him deep in the eyes.

Kiba was really starting to wonder just what people found in his eyes. Because a lot of them seemed to find things he could never understand within his eyes.

Maybe they were all mind readers...

With this thought, Kiba knew he was much too tired to try to do anything chakra related.

Hiruko said nothing as he pushed Kiba out of his workshop and down the hallway. Another yawn was pulled from the young boy as the clean and uncluttered scent of the base filled his lungs, washing away the mixed smells that had been the norm for the past few hours. Tiredly, the Inuzuka noted that he had never been through this hallway. But with each second that passed, the heavier his eyes felt and the less he felt like he could stay awake.

"I shall wake you up in two hours. That should be enough time for you to regain your strengths."

Kiba noted that Hiruko had spoken, but he barely heard him. Darkness pulled at him.

He didn't even wonder on what comfortable surface he had been lain on before he had fallen asleep.

* * *

"Will you tell me just what the heck happened with Kiba _now_?"

Akamaru resisted the urge to bark back at the annoying blonde after he repeated the same question for what seemed like the _hundredth_ time.

They had been walking for a few hours now. And Akamaru had wound up being carried by the young Kind Eyes, his paws hurting and still somewhat unaccustomed to having to walk for too long without being carried by Kiba. A few feet in front them was Bug Breath, walking ahead of the group as the clear leader of the team.

The blonde had been asking for information for the whole walk back to the village. And when asking Bug Breath hadn't worked, he'd tried to get the information out of Kind Eyes. And Akamaru had stepped in and tried to bite him, set on hurting the blonde if he continued to harass the soft spoken girl. At being threatened by the pup, the boy had stopped trying to harass Kind Eyes... And had then returned to bugging Bug Breath.

"We were captured on our mission. And separated." Shino informed the blonde finally, earning a bark of discontent from Akamaru.

He _still_ hated the fact that Team 8 had been captured. If only he had stayed with Kiba... Maybe none of this would have happened!

"Kiba was tortured." The boy continued to speak bluntly, not even giving Naruto a chance to fully process the information before he went on with the information. "One night the men that captured us decided to go even farther with the torture. Two shinobi appeared out of nowhere and saved us. But it was at a cost. Kiba was too injured to come back to Konoha. So we left him with those two men."

Akamaru felt bad. He could hear the sadness and guilt dripping from Bug Breath's every word. And from the way his shoulders sagged, he knew the youth was struggling on his own with everything that had happened.

"What? Shino, you didn't! You didn't leave a teammate behind!"

If Kind Eyes hadn't been holding onto him, the pup would have bitten the fox smelling idiot hard enough to draw blood. Could the idiot not see that Shino felt guilty? Could he not see that he was already suffering because of this whole issue?

"We _did_." Bug Breath hissed out with a sharp glare, then turned once more so he was looking away from his teammates yet again. "Naruto, you _weren't_ there. Don't try to tell me what we did was wrong."

The boy's words were cold. And Akamaru couldn't blame him. Fox Boy really had no say in this whole matter.

"But Shino, I'm sure-"

"N-Naruto kun... P- _please_..." Kind Eyes interrupted, eyes closed tightly as she breathed in shakily and held on tighter to Akamaru. "W-we didn't know what else to do! Kiba was so injured! A-And I-Itachi and Kis-same pr-promised to keep him s-safe!"

Akamaru whined softly, licking Kind Eyes' hand softly to try and offer him some manner of comfort. And as he focused on trying to help her calm down, he could hear Naruto gasp softly.

"Hinata, did you say Itachi and Kisame?"

"Yes. That was what they said their names were. Why do you ask? Have you heard those names before, Naruto?" Bug Breath asked a bit eagerly, turning to Naruto without a glare.

The blonde's eyes narrowed and he nodded softly, "Yeah. I have. And I've met them, too. Shino, those two aren't ninja of any village. They're traitors _._ "

This caught Akamaru's attention immediately. And both of Kiba's teammates were just as caught off guard by the boy's words because they looked at him with wide eyes.

"What do you mean, Naruto?" Bug Breath questioned, his interest piqued by the blonde's words.

"Didn't Grandma Tsunade tell you guys?" The blonde asked innocently, "Itachi Uchiha is Sasuke's older brother and one of the most dangerous missing nin to ever come out of Konoha. And Kisame is from the Hidden Mist. They both belong to a group called the Akatsuki."

The more Fox Boy spoke, the worse Akamaru felt for having left Kiba behind. And he could tell from the darkness that began to cloud Kind Eyes and Bug Breath that they too understood just how dangerous the situation truly was.

"A-Are you sure, N-Naruto kun?" Kind Eyes stuttered out meekly, bringing Akamaru even tighter against her body.

"Yeah, Hinata." He nodded seriously, "Didn't Grandma Tsunade ever tell you any of this?" He asked once more, earning a growl from Bug Breath.

" _No_. _She didn't_."

Bug Breath was pissed. And Akamaru couldn't blame him.


	28. Welcome

Once Kiba had woken up, Hiruko had ushered him to the meeting room with the leader. Apparently Hidan and Kakuzu had already finished telling him their own versions of the mission, but he was set on finding out everything that had happened straight from the Inuzuka. And Hiruko had been commanded to take the boy to the leader as soon as he had awoken from his slumber.

When he entered the room, the young boy felt a shiver run down his spine once more. The room was completely dark. And the leader himself was seated with his back turned to both Hiruko and Kiba, ensuring that they couldn't see anything but the back of his chair.

"Inuzuka. Report."

The man's voice was as deep and serious as it had been the first time Kiba had dared speak to him. And he was still shrouded by the shadows that had blanketed him the first time around, even though he was also hidden by the large chair.

For a second, the boy shifted from one foot to the other, unsure of how he was supposed to go about giving his report to the leader of Itachi's organization. Then he breathed in to calm himself and began to give a report worthy of the man he stood in front.

"Hidan, Kakuzu, and I found our way to the target without much complications." The boy began slowly, internally wincing at how unsure he truly sounded. Taking a moment to clear his throat, he tried to continue in a surer voice. "The article of clothing given to me was slightly contaminated by other scents, but it wasn't too difficult to focus on the scent of the target. And once I had found the man, I directed Kakuzu and Hidan in his direction."

Once he had finished, the boy had stood straighter and squared his shoulders, trying to seem as if he were sure with what he had just said. And, in all honesty, he was somewhat proud. It had been short, precise, and didn't force him to tell either of the men in the room about the bits he would much rather keep to himself. Like how Kakuzu had killed Hidan. Or how Hidan had almost killed him because of running his victims away. Or, worse yet, about how he had given Akamaru up. Because if he said this, he would have to explain to _who_ he had given the dog to. And he didn't want anybody in the organization finding out about his friends.

What if they found out that he had cut Kakuzu?

There were so many things he needed to keep hidden... When had his life gotten so complicated?

With a stifled groan, the boy pushed those thoughts away. He knew rather well just when his life had become so difficult. And he _really_ didn't want to remember that time ever again.

The boy heard the leader shift slightly in his seat after he had spoken, then the man was turning to face him. Shadows still covered him completely, but Kiba could faintly make out an outline of his body. And he could at least make out that the man had short hair and broad shoulders.

"Your stories corroborate, then." He spoke smoothly, voice devoid of any emotion. "Although, I must ask you out of pure curiosity, boy," His voice remain as stoic as ever, though, which made Kiba think that he wasn't truly all that curious. "Did you not have a pup with you when you left?"

It was like a punch to the gut.

To be reminded that he no longer had Akamaru with him hurt. _A lot_. Especially coming from someone that truly had no idea what he was going to make Kiba feel with the question.

"He..." Kiba's voice broke, trying to fight back the tears of anger and sadness that threatened to spill. "Uh... he ran away. Nothing much to it." With this said, he looked down at the floor and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, "Just a regular dog."

He had finished in a very unconvincing mumble. But he couldn't muster any force to his words as images of the fun times with Akamaru he'd never be able to live through again began to appear in his mind.

It had been easy to push Akamaru and his friends to the back of his mind while he had been out in the field with Hidan and Kakuzu. The threat of possible bodily injury had been enough to keep his thoughts from turning on him. So, while out there with those two psychopaths, he hadn't allowed himself to truly feel the effects of his choices out of pure instinct to survive.

But now that he knew there was no danger, his mind allowed him to finally process everything he had done.

He'd just basically admitted to being a traitor in his letter. And he'd rejected his pack. _And_ he'd left Akamaru behind. All in a rather small amount of words. But Shino knew him. He understood how his mind worked. And the Aburame would not miss anything. He was much too smart to do anything of the like.

He heard Hiruko step away from him and nearer to the leader but didn't react. He was focusing too much on not having any tears spill to truly try and look up. Besides, he knew his eyes were filled with tears at this point. He was over emotional. He couldn't stop himself. And the men before him would notice it immediately.

He didn't want to know how they would react to his weakness. The very idea of their reactions scared him, much like Hidan and Kakuzu had.

"Are there any more questions?"

There was a beat of silence in which the leader contemplated his next words, then he asked, "None for the pup. Tell me, Hiruko, since when have you taken an interest in him?"

Hearing the question, Kiba noted that the leader had never directly called him by his name. It had always been child, pup, or Inuzuka. And this made the boy begin to wonder if it was a pretentious leader thing. Quite frankly, he would much rather think about this than how he had basically screwed his whole life in Konoha up.

Even if he somehow managed to work his way out of the deal, he had ensured becoming a traitor to his village with that one message to his old teammates. Not like he thought there was an end in sight, really. He was to be the organization's and Itachi's tracker. There had been no other terms to his deal. No end date.

 _No end date_.

He was stuck here.

He would much rather be thinking about something else.

"He has proven some competence in the molding of chakra." Hiruko huffed, turning around to motion for Kiba to begin to walk out of the office. "I shall be taking him back to my workshop with me unless you have anything else for me to do."

Kiba turned around as soon Hiruko motioned for him to do so, walking tensely towards the door to open it and step out of the room.

"You may leave."

Then Hiruko was walking out as well and herding the Inuzuka back in the direction of his workshop, deadly serious about getting him to continue his practice on molding chakra.

* * *

The fact that Hiruko drove him so hard to strive for perfection didn't bother Kiba. If anything, he was grateful for the man's harsh teaching style. It left him bone-tired every single night and barely allowed him any time to think about anything but the task at hand during the day. This meant that he wasn't afforded much time to think about his life and the decisions he had made. He was much too busy making sure to get his skills up to the level Hiruko wanted them to be to actually delve into those thoughts.

The days were grueling and filled with much work and perfection. After four days of only Hiruko's tutelage, he was able to create five consistent chakra threads that he could then anchor to a practice puppet the man had given him. He struggled to use his left hand for the creation of chakra, but he was beginning to make two consistent threads with that hand as well. He was making actual progress.

The more time he spent with the man, the more he found himself missing Itachi and Kisame. The men had become constants in his life. And he hadn't noticed just how deeply they had ingrained themselves into his life in the organization's base until they just weren't there anymore.

For the first three days, he barely left the workshop's walls. He didn't want to risk meeting either Hidan or Kakuzu out there. So he only ever ventured out to go to the bathroom or accompany Hiruko to the kitchen for food.

On the fourth day, though, he decided to go ahead and walk over to the entrance of the base while Hiruko gave him a small break from all of the practicing. He had missed the smell of nature, especially after three days straight of nothing but puppets, wood shavings, iron, and rust.

He really should have learned by now that him making decisions always ended up with him in a new kind of mess.

But he had still to learn that lesson. So the boy had wandered off to the entrance, set on wanting to be surrounded by _green_ rather than _gray_. And everything went off rather well, he didn't face any troubles on his way out. But once he had stood for a few minutes, just taking in the serenity of the lush greenery that surrounded him, his ears perked at the sound of a rustling cloak behind him.

The scent that then reached him had him regretting ever having left Hiruko's workshop.

"Oi, dog boy! What are you doing? Trying to find the best tree to mark as your territory?"

He should really have known better than to try and get some peace and quiet out in the open while Kakuzu and Hidan were still in the base. If they were there, he shouldn't have been surprised to run into either of them. And he shouldn't be surprised at all for Hidan to be so loud and calloused about his greeting.

But, even though he should have expected it, Kiba wasn't prepared to have to speak with either of the dangerous men. Call it childish naivety that had yet to be ripped away from him. He honestly had thought he would not face any problems if he stepped out for a few seconds to just enjoy his life for once.

"N-No, Hidan..." He answered in a soft mumbled, not daring to turn around to face the man. He didn't want to look at him. Because if he saw the man, it would prove that Hidan truly was there.

From behind him, he could hear a soft chuckle emit from the man. Then there was a shadow looming over him and the presence of a much larger body behind him.

"Still got that adorable stutter, I see." Hidan remarked with amusement, then clicked his tongue. "Where have you been this whole time? The bitch refuses to tell me anything about you and the cheap bastard hasn't seen you this whole Jashin damned time either."

The feeling of the much taller man behind him had every hair on Kiba's body standing up, an inadvertent shiver going through him. Even though he didn't want to think about that time in his past, all he could think of was how those bastards had stood much closer to him than this, only to harm him. He really didn't like having the man so close.

"I-" Kiba began to answer, set on telling Hidan that what he did was his business and no one else's, but his tongue became twisted. And after a second of not continuing, Hidan merely shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Eh, I don't give a damn. You're funny to mess with, but I have more important shit to do otherwise." There was a rustle of fabric and Kiba whirled around as he did so, flashes of his past dominating his mind once more.

But once he faced the man, he noticed that Hidan had merely been shrugging, which had caused the fabric of his cloak to rustle.

This man... He wasn't good for Kiba's mental health. He was just sure of it.

"But, seeing how I've already completed all of my rituals for the day and Kakuzu bastard has locked himself up in his office, I decided that I might as well enjoy myself." The man continued to speak, apparently not having noticed the momentary fear that had flashed up in Kiba. "And even though messing with fuck face usually brings me much joy, I didn't feel like having to stitch myself back together. So I came out to see if the bitch was walking around here to be able to piss _her_ off. I just go lucky by finding you!"

The fact that Hidan was smiling broadly did nothing to calm Kiba's racing thoughts.

What could this man possibly want with him? What kind of torture did he want to inflict on him? And _why_? Kiba hadn't done anything to piss him off! He hadn't even seen Hidan for the past few days!

"So, now you're going to come with me." The man demanded with an easy smile, beginning to move back into the base. "And if you don't, I'll make sure you regret it."

Kiba's feet were moving immediately. He knew that it wasn't smart to follow after the man, but it would be even dumber to try and resist. Especially after the explicit threat.

So he followed Hidan to wherever it was that the man wanted to take him, all the while internally hoping for Hiruko to become curious as to where he had gone and go looking for him. But by the time they had reached their destination, Kiba was more than sure that Hiruko would not go out to look for him. The man most probably believed Kiba was more than smart enough to return on his own. And if he didn't, it was most probably because he had gotten lost. And if Kiba _had_ gotten lost, Hiruko would most probably just let him wander around as a punishment for not knowing where it was that he was supposed to go.

The training grounds that Kisame had forced him to go to every day all those days ago. That is where Hidan had taken him to.

Why?

Kiba blinked in confusion as the man stepped into the grounds, leaving the door open for him to follow. Just what could Hidan possibly want to do to him that he had to bring him all the way here?

"You any good with weapons?" The man asked as he walked to very middle of the room, the same place where Kisame would usually stay as he ran Kiba through his drills.

Tentatively, the boy stepped into the room, but stayed by the entrance. He wasn't about to completely enter it. Not with Hidan so near.

"I am proficient with the tantō ." The Inuzuka answered warily, keeping his eyes on Hidan as the man began to stretch his shoulders.

"Really? Swords? I wouldn't have pegged you as the sword wielding type." With this remark, Hidan walked over to one of the walls of the training area, which was stocked with all kinds of weapons, and picked out a rather long katanna. "Alright then. I'm itching for some action and you're the best thing around. So grab your sissy knives and let's get down to it!"

His smile was rather broad now, but still hadn't adopted that manic aura that the man had first shown around Kiba. Instead, he kind of reminded the Inuzuka of Akamaru when the dog was eager to play.

Which made no sense, seeing how this was _Hidan_.

"A-Are you sure?" Kiba questioned, feeling his heart start to squeeze as Hidan began to pace around the mat, holding onto the sword rather tightly.

"Of course I'm sure!" He bit out, smile turning into a slight sneer. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have invited you! Now hurry up!"

At the final shout, Kiba began to move over to the wall Hidan had taken the sword from, grabbing the set of tantō that was there. Then he turned around to face Hidan, only to have to jump out of the way of the madman rushing at him.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" He shouted, disoriented at the fast pace the man was already setting.

"I don't give a damn! Let's dance, fucktard!" The Jashinist shouted with a crazed smile, raising the katanna up with a glance down at it.

And this made something in Kiba's mind click. But the thought wasn't able to be fully comprehended until Hidan was lunging once more at Kiba, bringing the blade down in a vicious arc.

Kiba knew that he could have stopped the attack, but didn't dare do it. The man was clearly used to brandishing his scythe- a much heavier and more brutal weapon- and was trying to use that same fighting style, even though the katanna was a sword that needed a bit more style and grace and less wrath.

As the boy rolled out of the blade's way, he moved both of his own weapons so the blade was facing inwards, towards his arm, like Kisame had taught him. Then he rushed up and towards Hidan, taking advantage of the man leaving himself open to attacks to the middle. And with the man still bringing his arm down with the katanna, the boy raised his right hand so the blade was right against his neck, and brought his left hand up, so the second blade was right beside the man's ribs.

For a moment, everything was still. Kiba didn't breathe, Hidan didn't react.

The fact of the matter was that Kiba hadn't been thinking when he'd acted. He'd merely reacted after so many mock fights with Kisame in a manner that the man would most probably be proud of.

Hidan's body stilled as soon as his neck met with the metal of Kiba's knife, freezing with his arms still stretched out in his first attack. Kiba wasn't looking at him, for his body was frozen in the very threatening stance he had adopted as a counter. He could see the man's frozen shoulder.

Then he noticed that very shoulder began to shake softly.

"Wha-" He asked, body losing some of its tenseness, but he still didn't dare move away.

Instead, the boy looked up to his hand and found that Hidan had adopted a large smile and had even begun to chuckle. Softly at first. But the more time passed without either of them moving, the louder the chuckling became. Then it reduced to flat out laughter and he began to shake his head softly, eyes closing in what seemed to be pure amusement.

"I wasn't expecting you to be so fucking fast!"

Once Hidan had said this, he began to pick himself back up, bringing the sword up to his shoulders as he straightened. And as soon as he began to move, Kiba ducked out of the way, eyes wide and mind struggling to understand just why the man was _laughing_.

Okay. Maybe he just had to piece together everything that had happened. They'd both been moving really fast, after all. Kiba had been reacting out of pure instinct, really. Maybe he'd done something truly as he'd reacted.

Taking two steps away from the still laughing man, Kiba played back everything that had happened in the past few seconds to try and see just why Hidan would be so amused. But after he'd done this, he couldn't, for the life of him, find just what he had done that had made Hidan fall into _this_ fit of laughter.

... Maybe the Jashinist thought everything Kiba did was funny just because it was _Kiba_ that did it. That might make sense... Right?

The laughter began to die down after a while and Hidan made his way back to the wall, placing the katanna back where he had taken it from. "Okay, kid, you're not completely useless." He remarked as he sauntered back towards Kiba, apparently completely unfazed at having been defeated in less than a minute by the boy. "But those knives are just too fucking pussy to have you wielding them. You need a manly-ass weapon if you really are to be my sidekick."

The more Hidan spoke, the less sense he made. Kiba should have known by now to not try and follow his train of thought, but... He'd yet to learn _that_ lesson too.

As he looked at the man, who stood in front of him with an easy smile, Kiba couldn't help but wonder just how truly insane he must have been to find any amusement in- wait a minute. Had he just heard correctly?

"Wait-what? Sidekick?" Kiba took another step back and away from the man, eyes widening. "Hidan, I'm sorry, but I don't think-"

"Yeah, you don't do much of that." The man interrupted, then gestured for Kiba to follow him yet again. "Now come on. I have to get your measurements for that kick-ass scythe. Oh, I can already see all of the sacrifices you and I will make for Lord Jashin!"

Hidan was excited. This much Kiba could see from the way he was smiling like a normal human being and not like he was about to take part in a mass murder. And the boy wasn't sure if he wanted to accidentally make that happiness go away. Because, until now- even though he'd forced Kiba into a fight- the man had yet to try to kill him. Which was a pretty good thing, considering the man's track record. And if he were to try and question just _why_ he wanted to give Kiba a scythe, the boy would be endangering himself.

Remembering Konan's wise words from what felt like a life-time ago, Kiba breathed in, steeled himself, and began to follow after the still chattering Jashinist.

* * *

"What do you think you were doing hanging around Hidan?"

Kiba flinched at Hiruko's tone, which held anger rather than _nothing_ , and looked away from the man.

Hidan had taken up his whole afternoon. After he'd gotten the measurements he'd wanted for the scythe- which had made Kiba have to force himself to not bolt at the man's hands getting too close to his body- the Jashinist had proceeded to begin to _teach_ Kiba about his Lord. Death, blood spilling, and many prayers were all essentials to being the kind of person Lord Jashin wanted his followers to be. Hidan had made this clear.

And even though Kiba had felt his stomach churn uncomfortably at the very idea of ever taking part in any sacrifices, he didn't dare try and leave Hidan. The man's eyes had twinkled in a way that had reminded Kiba of the very twinkle Kurenai Sensei's eyes would adopt whenever she was teaching her students something new. And with this comparison, Kiba just couldn't make himself stand up to the man.

It was odd to compare the crazed murderer to the kind woman that had been his teacher but... He guessed he just missed Konoha a lot.

Hours had been spent with Hidan in forest outside of the base, learning about a religion Kiba wasn't comfortable with and getting lessons on wielding a weapon the boy wasn't sure if he even wanted to touch. Luckily for him, Kakuzu had walked out of the base in search of Hidan right when the man began to speak about the different ways one could gut an enemy with the scythe and had taken him away with a glare and no explanations.

Kiba hadn't minded the lack of talking from the man. Especially because he'd essentially saved him from one of the most gruesome lessons he was set on giving. He'd returned to Hiruko's workshop afterwards, only to be immediately questioned as to where he had gone and who he had been with.

"He was teaching me about Lord Jashin and-"

Hiruko's glare stopped Kiba the _second_ it turned on him. "You are _not_ to talk of that excuse of a religion. Inuzuka, you are dancing to a very dangerous tune with that man."

Looking down at his shuffling feet, Kiba breathed out heavily. "I _know_." He admitted softly, not looking up at the red haired man. "But what was I supposed to do? Tell Hidan that I _didn't_ want to be around him?" He asked, then braved himself and looked up at Hiruko with wide eyes. "I can't do that, Hiruko. He'd kill me."

Hidan was weird. He was terrifying. He was a murderer. And he'd apparently taken a liking to Kiba.

This whole tracking thing... It had gotten _so_ messed up.

Why couldn't Itachi just come back? He wanted to feel _safe_ again. And even though Hiruko's presence brought on a type of safe feeling... There was just nothing like what Itachi brought with him.

Hiruko stared back at him with intense eyes, then shook his head and began to walk over to Kiba until he stood only a few steps away.

"You are right." The man conceded, surprising Kiba. "When dealing with a psychopath like him, it is best to just go along with his plans until one of the other members of the organization can stop him. You did the best you could. Just make sure that you never find yourself in a situation you have to wait for anyone to save you. And this is not only advice for Hidan, but for the rest of your life." He spoke deeply and seriously, eyes stern and never straying. "Never leave yourself open to failure."

Kiba stared up at the man with warmth beginning to spread in his chest. He may have had his doubts before but with these words, he was sure. Even though Hiruko was rough and stern, he _cared_. He didn't know why, and, quite frankly, he didn't care anymore. He was just happy that the care was true and genuine.

"Yes, Hiruko." He nodded with determination, a broad smile beginning to make its way onto his face.

The man seemed about to say something else but was stopped by a knock on his door. A frown soon tugged at his features and Hiruko left Kiba to answer the door, only to find Kakuzu standing there, a folded up dark cloth in his hands.

"The leader told me I would be able to find the Inuzuka here." Kakuzu grunted softly in explanation, eyes drifting into the room to land on Kiba's form.

As soon as they had, Kiba froze. He had yet to speak to Kakuzu after the incident and he still wasn't sure how the man would react or what he would do.

"May I?"

Instead of answering, Hiruko stepped aside and allowed Kakuzu to walk into the room. The large man did so and made his way over to the young boy, his gait steady and his eyes devoid of any emotions.

Once he was right in front of Kiba, he raised his right arm and grumbled, "Welcome to the Akatsuki," only to drop the cloth he had been holding into the shocked boy's hands. Then, as abruptly as he had come in, he had left the workshop.

Kiba stared after the man's back for a while, not even noticing when Hiruko walked over to him once more. Then he dropped his stare onto the cloth given to him by the man and began to unfold it. Once he had finished doing so, he was left awe-struck.

It was the same cloak the rest of the men and women of this organization wore. In his size, of course, but everything was the same aside from that.

"Hn." The man before him looked the cloak over before nudging the cloth slightly, causing the boy to break out of his stupor and look at him. "What are you waiting for? Put it on."

"Uh... O-okay." Kiba muttered slightly, then looked back at the cloak.

This was _his_. This proved that he was now a complete part of this organization- the Akatsuki Kakuzu had said, right?

But... He couldn't understand this. He was just supposed to be their tracker. Nothing more. What could them giving him this cloak mean? Did they trust him? Did they consider him an equal? Did they see this as a way of marking him as property? Did this somehow prove that he was not his own person anymore?

With these thoughts running in his head, the boy opened the cloak and slid it over his left arm, then his his right. The fabric was soft and slightly heavy, barely clinging to him in the same manner it did with the rest of the members. Instead of closing it, he allowed it to hang open like Hidan, unsure if he wanted to completely close it. Then he raised up his arms to look at how the fabric moved with it, left astounded by the fact that _he_ was wearing it.

Wearing this cloak symbolized his complete rejection of his village. _This_ was it. There was no turning back anymore. He was in this until the _end_.

His thoughts weren't leaving any pleasant feelings in him.


	29. Pain and Suspicion

The Inuzuka had a superstition about bad weather on the days one of their clan members went off on a mission. Really, all clans had some kind of superstition about leaving ninja. But the Inuzuka kind was unique in how it could be taken by those that had no idea how the clan truly worked.

The Aburame's superstition was that each ninja that left was to leave behind a small flower planted in their home's garden. And if anything were to happen to that flower, whatever happened to it was to happen to the member that had planted it. And if a member was ever to forget to plant the small flower, they must be too busy thinking on ways to betray their village and were then deemed traitors. It was safe to say that no Aburame had ever forgotten to plant their flower.

The Hyuuga believed that if the adult shinobi that was to leave on a mission was not able to defeat their partner in the last spar before the mission, they were not to go on it. For being defeated by another of their own clean meant that fate had intervened and deemed them not strong enough to go. It was all about fate making decisions with that one last spar. And every last spar was treated with the severity deserved of such a serious moment in a shinobi's life.

The Inuzuka's own belief, though, was much more complex than either of those two. And it could be easily misconstrued by those that knew nothing of the clan.

It all began with the night before the certain member of the clan went off on their mission. The whole family would come together and eat the table with every member of the family, including all of the nin dogs, and they'd eat the leaving member's favorite food. It was seen as a good luck sign to get the whole family together and share. But, in case anything were to go wrong, it was also seen as a final meal, a final grace.

One of the reasons why it was so easily mistaken by those that knew nothing of the Inuzuka was because it had to do with how many members were to go off on a mission on that same day. It was generally seen as a very good sign for every member of the family to have something important to do on the same day. If all members were shinobi and were to go on a mission, it was seen as ideal, almost perfect, and even good luck.

This would be considered a bad omen for other people. For every member of the family to be out of village at the same time was considered bad. But for the Inuzuka, it was the ideal situation. They were a clan of warriors and proud shinobi. Having every member of the family in charge of some kind of important matter meant the family was prosperous and strong.

After that, once the member was on their mission, the members of the family that had stayed behind would go about their normal lives without giving too much thought to the member of the clan that had left. Instead, they would pay all their attention to their jobs and the oncoming weather. And if the weather was good, they would be at ease for it meant that everything would be fine. If there were difficulties with the weather, it meant that some difficulties would come to the member that was on the mission.

Of course, this all had to do with the season of time that the year found itself in. But, seeing how Konoha was usually always sunny, it was seen as good news that it kept being sunny. But if it was the rainy season, the rain was seen as that good omen.

The definite sign of bad news came from what might be seen as good by most, though. Rain was seen as not good, but it wasn't considered ultimately bad. The definite sign of complications and even death came in the appearance of a rainbow near the members of the clan that stayed behind. There wasn't a definite origin as to why the rainbow was bad, but the Inuzuka didn't question it. They merely saw the rainbow as a sign of bad rather than good, unlike many others tended to do.

On the day Kiba had left for his C-Ranked mission, Hana and Tsume Inuzuka had not had any pressing matters to attend to. Everything was peaceful and there was no reason for them to worry about their individual lives.

This had been the first sign for Hana Inuzuka that something _might_ go wrong with her little brother. They had been able to get together to eat, but it had _not_ been Kiba's favorite food. But Hana had not payed much attention to that _before_ everything went _right and easy_ in her job. Nothing _ever_ went right in the clinic.

Then, as she went about her usual work in the clinic with her mind on the weather and her job, it had begun to rain. _Heavy rain_.

When lightning had struck, the young woman had found that she needed to force herself to not worry too much and keep her hope in her little brother's skills. Kiba was more than capable enough to go through a C-Rank without _too many_ problems.

But as the rain calmed down and she walked out at five in the afternoon to return home after a rather simple day of work- with something dark itching at the back of her head- she'd seen the rainbow that had made her blood run cold. It had been only a few buildings away from the clinic and faced her directly, silently telling her that her brother's fate had been sealed.

Her knees had buckled and her chest had tightened so much that she hadn't been able to move. Instead she had faced the rainbow with wide eyes, fear running rampant and turning all of her thoughts against her.

When one of her coworkers had broken her out of the trance she had fallen in, the elderly man had not said a single thing. He was Inuzuka just like her and had known that her brother had left the village on his mission. He'd merely patted her softly on the shoulder, offered his silent strength, and begun to make his way back to his own home.

Hana had run back home after that with the Haimaru Brothers close to her, for they had understood just why their master had reacted the way she had and didn't have to question her. And when she had returned home, breathing heavily with her eyes wide, the woman had found Tsume glaring out the kitchen's window with a stern frown on her lips.

She had been glaring at a rainbow.

Hana had closed her eyes then, trying to come to terms with the bad omen. No words had been shared between either woman and Hana had made her way to her room. None of their dogs had howled at the full moon that night. There had been no dinner shared between either woman. It had been as if news of Kiba's death had already reached them and they were in full-on mourning.

Then Tsume had been sent on an S-Ranked mission and Hana had found herself breaking down. She had been forced to take a whole day off from her job. For on the day Tsume had left on her mission, they had not been able to share a final dinner, it had rained, and a rainbow had appeared as well.

It had been as if she had lost _two_ family members, although she had yet to receive any definite word as to their deaths.

The S-Rank had kept Tsume out of Konoha for a full month. And Kiba had yet to return in that time.

Hana had asked for council with the Hokage during that whole month. But the woman was never able to meet with her. And this had angered and caused the young woman to despair even further. But she had somehow managed to continue working in the clinic. She even treated it as her stress relief rather than a simple job, throwing her full efforts to each dog that came in, always arriving early, and always leaving late.

Then her mother had returned with grim news of the death of one of her teammates, with more bandages showing than skin, and a broken arm. But when Hana had seen her, she'd thrown herself into her mother's arms, ignoring the clear shout of pain from the woman, tears burning at her eyes. Tsume had returned. And in S-Rank terms, that was a completely successful mission.

In the coming days, Kiba had yet to return. And with every day that passed, Hana felt a piece of herself go. Not having Kiba around was such a change... One that she had not been prepared for. One she _despised_.

She missed shouting at her little brother for being an idiot. She missed having to dodge a sugar-crazed Kiba and Akamaru when they managed to break into the stash their mother kept under lock and key. And she missed those deep talks they would sometimes share after their mom had gone to sleep, those sibling bonding moments that would never be forgotten by her.

"Yo, Hana."

Blinking at the fingers snapping in front of her, the dark haired woman looked up at her lunch partner.

Genma Shiranui was a laid back man that usually didn't question her sudden silences. He was the perfect person to go out with for lunch because he took most things without needing too many explanations. And he had also been one of Hana's greatest friends since she had made chunin... He was also one of the few people that didn't ask her about her health every time they saw her.

She had been forced to take days off from work because, sometimes, the lack of _knowing_ ate at her so much that she just wasn't able to function anymore.

Sighing softly, Hana looked up at the senbon enthusiast. "Yeah, Genma?"

"Still thinking 'bout the brat?" The man asked as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, left eyebrow quirked just slightly.

His brown eyes didn't leave hers. And this made the young woman feel much too vulnerable, so she looked away with a shuddering breath. "Yeah... He hasn't come back, Genma. It's been two months since he went off on his mission and his team _came back._ "

The whole Inuzuka Clan was worried about the fact that the _clan heir_ had yet to come back. But the Hokage had told them she had decided to give Kiba another mission while he was already out there, with chunin as his teammates rather than genin, because they would need his tracking skills. But when she had told them this, Hana had felt something off about her words. Although she had seemed honest... Hana had been able to smell a rat nearby.

And smells were great omens about a person's character.

"You heard the Hokage." Genma shrugged. "He's off making a real name for himself by tracking down a criminal. You should be happy about it."

Looking down at her untouched plate of food, the woman couldn't help shake the feeling of wrong that had been eating at her since the day her mother had left on the S-Rank.

"... I know..." She breathed out, picking up her chopsticks to begin to push at the food.

_Something just feels really wrong._

* * *

He had never shown his anger so clearly.

An Aburame _always_ kept a level head. No matter the situation. His clan was famous for keeping steady even in the most harrowing of situations and this was a very great skill to have in the life of a Shinobi.

Well... An Aburame _usually_ kept a level head. But sometimes they were placed in a situation where it was just impossible to _not_ get fed up. And Shino was just a teenager, no older than thirteen. It could only be expected that after being put through so much stress and heartache, that he wouldn't be the most composed kid to find.

With a glare on his face and his insects buzzing viciously, the boy looked at Naruto.

"You mean to tell me that the Hokage knew who Kisame and Itachi were the whole time?" His voice was like something none of the kids surrounding him had ever heard. It was filled with anger and pain. Emotions he never showed so clearly. "She allowed us to believe everything would be fine even though we had just left our teammate with _two S-Ranked criminals?!_ "

Hinata jumped at the shout. Naruto took a step back. And Akamaru's own sneer reflected the one Shino's glasses and clothes hid.

"Shino-" Naruto tried to reach out to the boy to calm him down, but a small swarm of bugs stopped his hand.

"She knew Kiba was injured. She knew that we were terrified. And she knew we wanted answers." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, speaking more to himself than to those around him. "Yet she fed us lies!"

Shino Aburame was pissed. And he didn't give a damn about images or maintaining a calm head anymore.

"I am _sick and tired_ of being treated like a child!" He screamed suddenly, "She allowed my best friend to get kidnapped! And for what? What could she possibly gain from allowing Kiba to get taken? The Inuzuka Clan is perfect for regaining him! They could-"

And suddenly the shouts stopped. Shino closed his eyes with a gasp, turning away from his teammates. And if seeing him losing his head and screaming had shocked the kids, him suddenly going quiet surprised them even more.

"B-But, Shino kun... Sh-She must have had a _r-reason_. This is _Lady Tsu-Tsunade_. The H-Hokage." Hinata whispered shakily, deciding to finally say something before her friend began to scream again. "Maybe she-"

The boy raised a hand to her quickly, immediately shutting her up. But he stayed quiet for a few more seconds before he turned once more to his teammates with the calm he had lost seconds ago.

Hinata stared at him in fear. Naruto looked more curious and skeptical than worried.

"We are not to speak of this to anyone. Kiba's current status as 'traitor' is to be kept a secret." Shino told all of them with a serious tone of voice, looking at Hinata before he turned to Naruto. "Have I been understood?"

His voice held no room for argument. But Naruto answered as soon as he had finished speaking, "Not at all! Shino, you can't possibly think we're going to _lie_ to Grandma Tsunade! She's the Hokage!"

Shino didn't flinch at the shout. He merely turned around and began to walk once more in the direction of the village.

"There are two things I know, Naruto... One is that Tsunade kept this information from us. The second is that she did not have to lie to me or Hinata about our teammate." Shino hissed as he walked, but didn't stop to face his teammates. "I do not trust her now. She is not to know anything of Kiba Inuzuka anymore. She does not deserve to know. _We_ will be the ones to deal with anything that has to do with him from now on."

"B-But, Shino kun! We can't lie to the H-Hokage!" Hinata gasped as she ran after her teammate, catching up to him quickly.

"We are not lying." Shino answered simply, "We are omitting the truth. Technically, that is not lying."

He continued to walk, not even sparing a glance at Hinata. "Akamaru, when Kuromaru asks you what happened, you are to give the answers I will tell you to give. _No one_ is to know what has happened with Kiba. Have I been understood?"

The dog barked in acceptance immediately, apparently being the only one to not think that Shino had gone insane.

"But, Shino!" Naruto finally ran after both other preteens, eyes wide at the very idea of keeping the truth from Tsunade. Sure, she had lied. And that had been wrong. But Shino couldn't lie in retaliation! He had to confront her and find out _why_ she had lied! "We can't-"

"Hush, Naruto!" The Aburame hissed, voice raising once more. "We can and we _will_ , for it will keep Kiba _safe_." With this he stopped and turned to the blonde, eyebrows narrowed. "Tell me, do you want our friend to be hunted down by every Konoha shinobi that happens to leave the village?"

"No... But, Shino, why-"

"Because if we tell that woman the truth, she will strike him down as a missing nin to make up for her mistakes!"

After the shout, Naruto could only stare at the angered Aburame. Shino's words had left him stunned and wordless.

Straightening himself, Shino looked away from Naruto and began to walk once more. "Now come on. We must get back to Konoha with the plan set. We cannot commit any mistakes if we wish our friend to remain safe. And, to ensure that, I will tell you _everything_ you need to know."

"Naruto kun, are you okay?" Hinata whispered once Shino had stepped far enough away, eyes wide and body slightly shaking.

She had never seen Shino like this. And it terrified her.

Blinking, Naruto turned to look at Shino, who continued to walk away. He did _not_ want to lie to Grandma Tsunade. But if Shino felt so strongly about this... If he thought it was worth lying to keep their friend safe...

"Yeah, Hinata... Let's... Let's get going."

And with this, he too began to move. Although his steps were stiff, his mind much too occupied with being completely confused to bother with moving like he normally would.

* * *

Iruka Umino had been there on the day Shino and Hinata had returned from their mission. He had seen the fear and helplessness in their eyes and had heard how truly dismayed they had been.

Because he had been there, Iruka Umino had not been able to believe the lies the Hokage had told the Inuzuka Clan about their heir.

And he knew that Hana and Tsume themselves couldn't force themselves to believe it, even though they most probably wanted to. He had spoken with Hana since Kiba had gone off on that mission and he'd even helped her over at the clinic every now and then when things became too much with the paperwork. He felt like it was the least he could do for the grieving woman.

But he'd continued working and going on missions like the proper chunin he was, always going on missions the Hokage assigned him to.

One of the reasons, though, as to why he couldn't bring himself to believe the Hokage's words was because he had seen how Kakashi had been left a few days after whatever had happened to Kiba had happened.

The man had been left in a state akin to that of what he'd been forced into during his first confrontation with Itachi Uchiha. And... Well... It was odd, really. That a few days after Shino and Hinata had returned so frenzied, Kakashi had come back from wherever he had gone in an almost coma.

"You think too much, Iruka Sensei."

"And you observe too much, Kakashi. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be teaching your students?" Iruka answered easily, even though he knew that Kakashi knew more than he let on.

The man was a genius. And Iruka hated it whenever he feigned innocence.

Kakashi lay lazily on a tree branch while Iruka leaned on the trunk, looking over the group of academy students that ran around. But he looked up to see the Copy Nin, looking more like a lazy cat than resting human.

"Ma..." The man waved his hand lazily, "Sakura is too busy being the Hokage's student to care about me. And Naruto is off on a mission. I have nothing to do now. And the Hokage won't give me anything to do until I've 'healed' completely."

Healed. Iruka looked over the man's bandaged arm and couldn't help the small scoff. This was another reason why he couldn't understand why they were being lied to.

Someone had hurt Kakashi real bad. And the Hokage had wanted them to stay peaceful and calm? She wanted them to remain _ignorant._

"You could do something productive you know..." Iruka muttered softly with a shake of his head, then looked the man in the eyes. "Kakashi, tell me the truth."

"Is this about the Inuzuka again, Iruka Sensei?" Kakashi drawled slowly, even though Iruka had wanted to speak about this seriously. "You heard the Hokage. He's on a mission and earning his stripes."

But Kakashi, even with his faked lazy, was still very serious about the subject. He wanted Iruka to drop it. And if the man cared enough about it to not want to talk about it, it meant that he knew more than he was telling the young teacher.

"Fine. Don't tell me anything." Iruka shook his head as he pushed off the tree, then took a few steps to go back to his kids. But, once he was a few feet away, he stopped and looked at Kakashi one final time, "Tell me, have you gone to talk to Hana or Tsume? I hear that Hana has broken down at least twice on the job."

It was a dirty trick. Bringing family into anything with Kakashi was one of the lowest things to do. But the man refused to tell Iruka anything. Maybe reminding him of the distraught family left behind by Kiba would spur the man into some sort of action.

* * *

"Asuma... Do you think he's okay?"

The man took in a long drag of his cigarette before he looked at the woman that had spoken up, breathing out to release the smoke that had made its way into his lungs.

Kurenai had been forced to completely separate from her team. Days after they had returned from their failed retrieval mission, the woman had gotten word of the Hokage sending what was left of Team 8 on a month long mission with Naruto. And this had meant that Kurenai had gone from being a very hands on and always present teacher to her genin team to not having them near at all.

He had been fortunate enough to still have Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji with him. Which, when one looked at all of the misfortunes that had stricken the Rookie 9 with the likes of Sasuke and now Kiba, he counted all of his lucky stars every single night.

"He's a strong kid, Kurenai." The man breathed out with a look out at the village from the balcony they were eating on.

Kurenai had invited him over for dinner. Because she had not had her kids with her, the Hokage had given her many kinds of in-village missions. It hadn't been said, but Kurenai not being ready for anything out of village because of the issue with Kiba had been heavily implied with each new C and B-Rank given to her.

"I know..." The woman looked away from Asuma then, looking out at the setting sky. "I just... You heard the Hokage, Asuma. He was _raped_."

With a soft sigh, Asuma leaned over the table between them and softly grasped her hand, "She never said that."

"But it was _implied_." The woman snapped with a hiss, snatching her hand away from his as if she had been burned. "And then she allowed him to be taken. Asuma, we shouldn't have let that happen. We should have fought on."

The tanned man looked down at his hand with pain snipping at his heart, then leaned back in his chair and shook his head softly.

It seemed as if Kiba was the only conversation topic Kurenai ever wanted to discuss.

"And what would you have had us do?" He questioned more roughly than he would have liked, flinching minutely at the anger in his voice, but still continued, "Fight both Kisame _and_ Itachi? Kurenai, we were barely able to stop Kisame alone!"

"I know that!" The woman hissed, head turning to glare at him and making her dark hair whip to the side, "But we should have done _more!_ "

Both of them kept quiet, glaring at one another. Then, with his heart squeezing at the fire in Kurenai's eyes, Asuma sighed and looked away.

"I don't like fighting." He admitted, keeping his eyes on the wall to his right.

"... I don't either..." Kurenai breathed out after a while, "But it's all we seem to do anymore."

The words hurt. It was an admission to just how bad everything had gotten between them.

Chancing one look at the beautiful woman, Asuma found that she was, once more, looking at the darkening sky. And the fact that she didn't dare look at him made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

"I'll..." He began awkwardly, mechanically standing up. "I'll see myself out."

She didn't look at him. She didn't stand up. And she didn't say goodbye.


	30. Healing Scars

In the days after Hidan had proclaimed Kiba as his 'fucking awesome sidekick', the boy had found himself adapting to yet another new routine. He spent most of his time in the workshop with Hiruko, perfecting his chakra control and working out how to use the practice puppet Hiruko had given him. But, when he just couldn't control his enthusiasm anymore, Hidan would barge into the workshop and demand Hiruko hand Kiba over.

This, usually always, ended up with Hidan pierced through the heart, stomach, and/or arms and legs.

From the days spent in the base with most of the organization, Kiba had figured out that Hiruko hated Hidan with a burning passion. He even seemed to hate Deidara less, but it was because of an artist's respect for one another or something... Kiba didn't get it. He just knew that Deidara _didn't_ get impaled whenever he tried to muscle his way into Hiruko's space, unlike the Jashinist. And everyone else tended to steer clear from the puppet master.

Because he was an immortal, Hidan would spend a few minutes recovering from the hits, whining about getting real tired of the bastard's shit in the meantime.

If it wasn't because Hidan was there to steal him away, Kiba would have laughed every single time the man did this. Especially because Hiruko banished him to a corner of the workshop to fix himself up so he wasn't able to get any blood on any important pieces of work. But once he wasn't bleeding anymore, Hidan would force Kiba away from his practice and force him to go back to the training grounds.

Hiruko would follow. He didn't allow Kiba to go anywhere with Hidan all alone. Not after he had told the boy- in much less words of course- that Hidan was a murderous bastard who wasn't to be trusted.

Those training sessions were always interesting because of how both men interacted. But the fact that Hidan had tried to kill Hiruko on different occasions- which never worked out all that well and ended up with a _very_ wounded Hidan- meant that Kiba couldn't just enjoy the easy and impassioned banter they usually always engaged in.

"You are teaching him the wrong form." Hiruko would point out when Hidan tried to correct Kiba's stance for wielding the large scythe he had somehow materialized after two days of having gotten the boy's measurements.

"Shut up, puppet fucker! You can't talk about this shit! You don't know fuck about it!"

"I know enough to know that you're teaching him an improper stance."

"You _fuck puppets_! You have shit to say here!"

"... Kiba would much rather be learning about the art of puppetry."

"You dense, motherfucking, puppet fucker!"

Really, it always made for good entertainment. But because Hidan was a psychopath and Hiruko didn't seem the least bit concerned with causing others harm, Kiba never was truly able to just sit back and enjoy the rather petty squabbling.

Today felt like it would be just like any other day. The Inuzuka was feeling somewhat tired because of the nightmares that had kept him up during the night, but he didn't allow himself to dwell too much on that as he made his way over to the kitchen from Hiruko's workshop. Because neither Itachi nor Kisame were there, he had ended up sleeping in the workshop for the past few days.

Hiruko followed after him silently, like he always tended to do whenever they went to the kitchen. He never walked beside Kiba but behind. He didn't understand why, really. But Kiba just chalked it up to a missing nin trust thing.

When he reached the kitchen, he noted that Konan was already in there. The woman smiled softly over at him and the boy returned it, walking over to the counter to sit down there just like he had done every single time he ever came into the kitchen. He hadn't ever ended up making himself any food. Either Hiruko or Konan always took care of that for him.

"Good morning." The boy greeted softly, all the while the woman turned around, grabbed a plate from the counter-top beside the stove, and turned back to him.

"Good morning, Kiba. How are you?" She asked as Kiba looked at the simple breakfast placed before him.

"I'm good." The Inuzuka nodded and brought the plate closer to himself, then grabbed the pair of chopsticks she then offered. "Thank you for the food."

"Do not worry about it." Konan gave Hiruko a soft nod then she looked back at Kiba. "How was training with Hidan yesterday?"

The question made the boy wince slightly, for it made him remember the disaster that had been yesterday's 'training session' if it could even be called that. It had mainly consisted of Hidan chasing after a rather bored Hiruko, swearing to tear him limb from limb because the puppet master had dared insult Lord Jashin. In the chaos that had come from that small chase, Hidan had somehow managed to unknowingly cut at Kiba's clothing and reveal some of his scarred skin to any that may see. And Kiba had seen those scars. And they had been the reason why his nightmares had been rather vivid this past night.

"It was pointless." Hiruko answered after Kiba kept quiet for a few minutes, "That man is about as dense as Deidara. He cannot seem to understand that Inuzuka wants nothing to do with him."

The growl from the puppet master made Kiba smile softly. The man really was growing on him. Especially because now Kiba could control the practice puppet without his chakra threads ever faltering. It made him feel rather accomplished to be able to make that small puppet move with complete grace.

"If this is what it takes to keep him controlled, then I must insist Kiba continues to learn from him." Konan remarked, then looked at the boy. "Because he has you to look forward to, Hidan does not pester any of the other members. And this has proven beneficial for overall morale."

As he chewed, Kiba couldn't help but look over at Hiruko. Even though he believed Konan's words, he couldn't help but feel that they were slightly one-sided. Maybe Hidan not bothering any of the others had helped, but he certainly _did_ both Hiruko. And from the way the puppeteer's attacks had become more and more savage, the Inuzuka knew that he was real close to reaching his limit.

"I have some things to complete." The woman announced after a moment of silence, then offered Kiba one final smile. "Do you still wish to learn how to make-"

"Yes, please!" The boy cut her off before she could finish her sentence, smiling broadly as he tried to keep his worry from showing. "You should be free in about a week for that, right?"

For some reason, her smile seemed somewhat smug. But the woman turned around before Kiba could make sure that his imagination just wasn't acting up again. "Yes. And I look forward to teaching you."

After having said that, the woman walked away, leaving Kiba with Hiruko in the kitchen. And the Inuzuka knew that it was somewhat odd that he had cut Konan off so hurriedly, but he had wished to keep him from hearing the small favor Konan had promised him a few days ago. Especially because it would take from his training with Hiruko and the man really hated whenever Kiba skipped his lessons for whatever reason.

He ate in silence while Hiruko stood off to the side without moving. It was kind of weird that the man didn't move whenever Kiba was eating, but the boy just chalked it up to having appointed himself as Kiba's bodyguard from the likes of Hidan. And he'd done it so often that he didn't seem to mind the constant gaze anymore.

Although he _did_ miss Akamaru's constant gaze...

The very memory of the pup he had abandoned made his stomach tighten and his appetite left him. Luckily, he had eaten just about most of the food before the disheartening thought had struck him. But he still put the chopsticks he had been using down, his whole body suddenly feeling rather heavy.

"Prepare a pack for a week of travel. Make sure to pack your poisoned kunai. Then meet me at the entrance of the base once you have everything you need."

"Huh?" Kiba looked up with slightly widened eyes and found Hiruko standing in the same spot he had been before.

"You heard me. You are to go on a small mission with me. And it will take approximately a week to go and come back." The man's voice was rougher than usual and had taken on a tone similar to what he used when he was scolding the boy whenever he committed a mistake. "Now go to your room and pack. I do _not_ like to be kept waiting."

The puppet's glassy eyes seemed to be able to pierce through Kiba's own and the boy gulped tensely, giving a small nod. "Sure thing." He muttered, then hopped down from the counter and jogged over to Itachi and Kisame's room.

Even though he had taken to sleeping in Hiruko's workshop, most of his things were still in there. The clothes from his first mission were folded neatly inside one of the drawers Itachi had emptied for him. They had been cleaned by the man the very day he had returned. And the cloak that identified him as one of the members of this organization had multiplied and now five cloaks in his size hung inside the closet, although they were dwarf by Kisame's own.

The room was still as barren and sparsely furnished as it had been when Kiba had gotten there. But because Kisame hadn't been there to scold him for any kind of mess, there were all kinds of weapons, scrolls, inks, and brushes strewn all over the room and Kisame's bed. Itachi's bed was left untouched though. And that was because the boy wanted to make sure Itachi's scent stayed in it for as long as possible.

Thinking about the state of the room brought a sad smile onto Kiba's face. He missed Itachi and Kisame a lot. Those two had been the ones to save him from a living hell. They had taken him under their care and kept him safe. And they were the only two that he felt completely safe around. Even though he had grown more accustomed to many of the Akatsuki members, he had not felt as safe with any of them. He didn't feel completely _normal_ when around them.

"No time to dwell on that, though." The boy reminded himself, forcing his body to begin to move and pick up the weapons strewn about the room. "If I don't hurry up, Hiruko will make me regret it."

~/~

Traveling with Hiruko alone was rather interesting.

After spending so much time in a closed space with him, Kiba had become accustomed to the silence. And to cope with it, he hummed to himself as he worked as a way to distract from the silence and his own doubts and regrets. He would hum whatever tune came to mind and just amuse himself and make a melody out of it.

But as he followed after the unbelievably fast man, Kiba didn't have time to try and think up of a tune to hum. He was much too occupied with trying not to falter in his steps and end up falling from the trees. Hiruko wanted to get to their destination as quickly as possible. And he hadn't wanted Kiba to be the one to slow them down.

The reason why Kiba was left stunned by the fact that Hiruko could be so fast was because he was still inside of Hiruko. He was running with a large puppet covering him and he managed to run almost as fast as his mother! Just how talented could this man possibly be?

Still, the improbable pace ensured them reaching Hiruko's destination in just two days. And when they got there, Kiba was left completely stunned.

They were in the Land of Wind. Not anywhere near Suna, but still in the desert.

Just what could they be doing in this place? Because of the strong winds and ever present sand, tracking by nose was almost impossible, even to the most seasoned of trackers. And Kiba had only recently begun to truly use his nose for the exclusive task of tracking.

"Hiruko?" Kiba called as the hot sun bore down on his face, suddenly feeling extremely and uncomfortably warm.

He wore the organization's cloak opened, with his shirt and pants exposed. But his shirt was long sleeved and covered up his neck. And this meant that the sun was being felt rather well by him.

"If we continue in this pace, we should be reaching our destination in three hours. Now hurry up. I don't-"

"Don't like to be kept waiting." Kiba rolled his eyes and sighed, but shouldered his pack and nodded. "Let's go then."

The growl from Hiruko would have terrified him before. But, for some reason, it only amused Kiba.

~/~

Sand. Sand. More sand. Hey, a small insect! Wait... No... It got eaten by a rat.

Sighing, Kiba wiped at his sweat drenched forehead and glared at the small mammal that burrowed its way underground after having gotten its meal. He _really_ envied that animal right now. It was hot!

The sun singed his face, but the boy refused to take off any of his clothes to be more comfortable. He refused to allow _anyone_ to see his scarred body. Not even the detached Hiruko. No matter how much he wanted to just take all of his clothes off and run free.

The man hadn't said anything in the past few hours. But he had stopped running and now walked briskly, which allowed Kiba a bit of reprieve from the heat. But it was just minute.

Taking a look at the place Hiruko was leading him to, Kiba noted that the monotony of the desert was broken by mountains of rocks. And the closer they got, the clearer it became to the boy that it was a kind of mountain of rocks. He didn't know much about the lay of the land, so he couldn't speculate how there was rock in the middle of so much sand. But he was grateful for the break in the uniformity of the desert.

"We are near." Hiruko announced to Kiba after they had walked a few more miles. "You are to go inside that cave and submerge yourself in the lake."

The order made Kiba's rhythmic steps hesitate and he stumbled just slightly. "What? Go _in there_? And _bathe_?"

"What did I tell you about questioning me?"

With a huff, Kiba groaned, "To _not_ do it."

Hiruko grunted and continued walking. And, even though the directions given to him were more than just odd, Kiba continued walking behind the man.

Once they were at a large opening that undoubtedly led inside a giant cave, Hiruko turned to him. "I will lead you into the cave and towards the water. Once there, though, I will have to leave. You are to find your way back to the surface alone."

With wide eyes, the boy immediately began to argue. But Hiruko's metallic tail flew out of his cloak, wrapped around the boy, and squeezed tight enough to warn the boy against trying to argue any further. Then he began to walk into the cave, engulfing them both into total darkness.

With his heart beating loudly, Kiba couldn't help but regret having wanted to get out of the sun so much. Maybe this had been the way his prayers had been answered.

The cave smelled clean and fresh. There was the calm sound of water dripping and maybe a set of wings flapping, but the most identifiable sound was that of Hiruko's joints clicking together.

"Hiruko, could you please explain-" Kiba tried to talk after a few minutes had passed, but the man merely squeezed him with his tail once more and promptly shut him up.

The man continued to walk in silence without even turning to look back at the boy. And this caused Kiba to huff and cross his arms in annoyance. But, he had to admit, after having been forced to endure a trek under the hot desert sun, it was nice to be in such a cool place. It wasn't even all that humid. Just _cool_.

After being forced to endure way too much in silence, Hiruko finally set Kiba down. And the boy could smell water really close to him, about only a few feet away from him.

"This is where I leave you. Take off your clothes. Do not contaminate the water in any manner. You cannot go inside with _anything_. Have I been understood?"

He couldn't see Hiruko. He couldn't see much of _anything_. But Kiba knew that the man most probably knew what he was doing if he hadn't given Kiba any further instructions. And from the seemingly smooth walk Hiruko had made as he carried Kiba, the boy guessed the cave's floor wasn't as treacherous as others he had come across.

"Yes, Hiruko. But, can you _please_ tell me wh-"

"Just do as I say, Inuzuka." Then Hiruko was walking away, leaving Kiba alone with that final growl.

He didn't like this. Being left alone in a cave and being told to swim in a very much unseen underground lake without being able to see more than two inches away? This all seemed _very sketchy._

But it was _Hiruko_. Kiba could trust him. If this had been Hidan, it would have been a completely different story. But the puppet master had done nothing to hurt him yet. Not even with that metal tail wrapped around the boy's waist. Not even when Kiba failed majorly and frustrated him beyond belief. He could _trust him_.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." The Inuzuka muttered to himself, beginning to slide off the dark cloak.

But... It wouldn't hurt to do what the man said. It'd quell the boy's curiosity and most probably ease the puppet master. And it wasn't as if there was anyone here that would be able to see the marred skin he was so ashamed of. Hell, even if there had been, they wouldn't have been able to see the gnarly scars that had come from a horrible time in his life.

Once he had completely undressed and wore nothing, Kiba followed his nose to the source of water. Then he slowly entered the pool, making sure he was in the shallow part before he jumped in. The rock bit at his feet just slightly, making him feel a bit odd. It wasn't painful. But it wasn't comfortable either. And the water was rather cold, seeming to be almost freezing when paired with how cool the cave around this body of water already was.

Taking in a bit breath, the boy began to move forward, making sure that he had a stable foot hold before fully putting his weight on his legs. Then, once he was chest high in the water, he shuddered and closed his eyes. Hiruko had said to submerged himself. So, he would do it.

Gulping in a big breath, the boy prepared himself for the surprise of cold water that would hit his face. Then he jumped into the water.

~/~

"You know, I still can't understand why you made me do all of that." Kiba called out as soon he had found Hiruko's domed figure by the entrance of the cave, hiding from the hot desert sun in the shadows. "Although it was kind of nice to freshen up after that evil trek through the desert."

It was odd, actually. For some reason, his body felt more than just refreshed. It felt _healed and lighter._ It was quite an interesting thing, really.

After the boy had spoken up, Hiruko had turned around to look at him. And Kiba smiled softly up at him, somewhat amused to find that Hiruko actually seemed to be looking for something.

Just what could he be looking for? Did he expect Kiba to have suddenly changed in that water?

"You are still wearing all of those layers." Hiruko observed, voice sounding slightly taken aback.

"Yeah... What did you expect?" Kiba asked as he walked up to the man. "I wasn't about to prance around without any clothes on."

It was odd. Why did Hiruko find this so important? He always walked around completely covered. He made sure to always cover up those hideous scars that marred his body in the worst way possible.

"Kiba, let me see your arm."

"What?" Kiba questioned, taking a step back. "No. Hiruko, no."

"Would you just listen to me?" Hiruko growled, moving forward and after the Inuzuka. "Just let me see your arm!" The man then thrust the puppet's arm out, making to snatch at Kiba's own.

"No!" The boy growled, jumping back. "Hiruko, stop!"

But the man didn't stop. Instead the metallic tail flew out of the puppet once more and wrapped around Kiba, effectively stopping him from getting away from the man. But Kiba struggled, pushing at the large piece of metal desperately, suddenly becoming _very_ frightened by Hiruko's insistence.

"Stop it!" The boy shouted as he was brought close to the man and his arm was snatched by the puppet. "Hiruko, this isn't funny! Stop right now!"

But his pleas were ignored. Instead the man merely pulled the sleeves of his clothing back, eager to look at his unclothed arm.

And in the faint light, Kiba was left completely breathless.

The long and ugly scars that had covered his forearms weren't there anymore. Instead, they had been replaced by much thinner and less defined white lines that didn't make any sense. To get scars to look this good would take _years_ and healing creams. They were still very perceptible and very much _there_... But it didn't make any sense.

"H-Hiruko?"

His struggling had ceased as soon as he had seen the new state of his scars. And he dumbly noted that Hiruko put him down on the floor once more and the tail unwrapped from his waist.

"These waters are invaluable and must be kept hidden from the rest of the world because of their healing properties." The man finally explained, wooden puppet fingers running over the much smoother skin on the boy's arm. "Scars tell stories of one's past. They allow our fights to be open books for any that may see. I believed you kept yourself hidden out of fear of having anyone know just what happened to you."

The man's words were heavy and serious, thumb still passing over the healed skin.

"Let's return."

Kiba was left so completely taken aback by everything that he didn't fight the man. Instead he followed after him. And, every now and then, he would pull back the sleeves of his cloak and shirt to make sure that what he had seen hadn't been some kind of illusion.

* * *

"You're running just a bit faster than you should. You may even seem a bit eager."

The words were meant to taunt Itachi. The Uchiha knew that. But he wasn't about to give Kisame any kind of amusement. No matter how minute.

"And you are not?" The younger of the two retorted softly, voice deep and uncaring. "Last I checked, you were the one whining about never ending missions and wanting to get back to whipping the Inuzuka back into shape."

There was a moment of silence in which the shark nin said nothing, and Itachi was content to believe he'd run out of things to say. But then he'd murmured, "Maybe... But _I'm_ not the one that's been acting like the brat that lost his favorite toy..."

The glare Itachi sent his way would have made lesser men quiver. Kisame merely glanced away with an insufferable smirk clear on his lips.

Two weeks and five days. That was how long they had been gone. That was how long he had been away from Kiba Inuzuka. And in that time, Itachi had been forced to remind himself that he could not kill Kisame if he wished to remain in the Akatsuki with Kiba by his side. But if he heard anymore jokes about how this was a case of 'puppy love'... He would _not_ be held accountable for whatever violent means he partook in to silence the Mist Nin.

They're mission had gone rather smoothly. Hunting the diplomats down had only taken them a few days. But the act of intercepting them and ensuring that there was no evidence of the Akatsuki's interference in the whole matter had taken them more time than Itachi would have wanted. And the fact that Kisame continued to allude to Kiba whenever he found something remotely 'funny' did nothing to brighten Itachi's already foul mood.

Kiba had purposefully sent them off on their mission. He had _allowed_ himself to be left behind by the only two people he was supposed to trust in the organization. And that had left a sour mouth in Itachi's mouth that had lasted throughout the whole mission.

Whatever Konan had done... Itachi would undo.

"Calm down, Itachi. You heard the message from the leader. The kid's fine and his mission was successful. You don't have to be running so fast."

"Kisame, if you don't shut up and pick up your pace, I will not hesitate to torture you. Hell, maybe I will even kill you."

"... That kid's got you good, doesn't he?"

Kisame was lucky they were only a day or so away from the base. If they hadn't been, Itachi would _not_ have hesitated to follow through with his threat.


	31. Nightmares

The trip back to the organization's base was a bit less hurried than when they left it. Apparently, Hiruko did not feel the need to rush Kiba at this point. And the boy was more than grateful to being allowed those few hours of a subtle jogging, rather than full out sprinting.

They had already crossed the borders of the Land of Wind and were back in the Land of Fire once more. Kiba rejoiced in the shadow of the trees and the cool that came from them. From this trip, he had learned two very important things: First of all, he hated the desert. This wasn't all that surprising, but he had not been completely sure of it until he was forced into that long and arduous trip through the much too hot desert. Second, and rather serious, of all was that Hiruko _cared_. He may keep himself detached and far from the Inuzuka, but the puppet master really, truly cared for him. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have done something so great for the boy.

After they had run for a few miles, the boy had decided to finally shed some of the heavy layers over him. So he had taken off the organization's cloak and tied it around his waist, leaving it to cover the back and front of his legs. And then he had pulled up the sleeves of his shirt to allow his forearms to be seen and he was completely mesmerized by the lack of _angry, mutilated_ skin. His skin wasn't perfect, he doubted it ever would be. But the lines over his skin didn't seem as damning and telling as they once had.

How would the bigger scars on his back and chest look like?

He itched to get back to the base so he could take a proper look at his whole body and not just his arms. But, as he ran after the puppet master, the boy remained patient to return. Even though he was eager to see, he was also not completely sure if he could face the reality just yet. He had barely looked at his body after he had gained the scars. Then he had ignored his reflection in the mirror after having left Akamaru with his old friends. He had not looked at his whole body for quite a while.

Now he could try and look, though. Now he was healed. Seeing those scars in their new state would leave him feeling better! Because if they had healed, then _he_ had healed as a whole! That was how it worked... Right?

The answer to the question was filled with doubt. He _didn't know_ if that was how it worked. And he was somewhat terrified that if he looked into the mirror once more and saw those scars, all the pain he had managed to keep bottled up would somehow make its way to the outside.

Talking from a psychological point of view, Kiba was an anomaly. He didn't know much about anything that had to do with the mind or emotions, but he wasn't an idiot. After going through something as traumatizing and scarring as he had gone through, one wouldn't just bounce back. And, even though the events were very different, Kiba had seen his mother and sister go through the different stages of grief and getting over it when their father had left.

He had, essentially, jumped past all of the screaming, crying, and anger he had seen his mother and sister succumb to. Even though he had felt many bursts of anger after he had been raped by those bastards, he had not been able to truly come to terms with what had happened to him. Instead, he had shoved those thoughts away to be able to survive in the new life he had been thrust into. He had not bee allowed to ponder on what he had been through. He'd merely pushed it all to the back of his mind.

And he was terrified that if he looked at his mirror and saw those scars once more, all of the stages of coming to grips with the situation he had jumped over would smack into him and leave him sobbing like a child. He couldn't be weak in the organization's base. He couldn't allow himself to be seen as even less than he had been perceived to be by the members. It might cause them to see him as expendable and not worth their time. It might cause them to get rid of him.

So he was at a rather big stand-still. Look at his scars and see how different they truly were and chance a breakdown... _Or_ keep avoiding them and stay safe from breaking down.

He had no idea what he was to do. So, even though he was eager to return to the base and get back to mastering the practice puppet, he wasn't all that keen on having to make a decision. Not so soon.

In essence, he was feeling two very different emotions at the same time. And it made him feel both excitement and dread the closer they became to the organization's base.

As he jumped from one branch to another, Kiba's nose caught a scent other than that of the forest and Hiruko. And the nearer they got to it, it became them. There was more than one human inside of the forest. And while they didn't smell as bloody as Kisame and Itachi, there was enough smell of blood to send a shiver of fear run through Kiba's body.

He may be stronger and more skilled than before, but he was still not sure of his skills. Not after he had failed at keeping his friends safe before things went from bad to worse.

"H-Hiruko?" The boy called as they ran, "There's a group of men, about ten, a few miles from us. They're not as strong as you-"

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

Kiba closed his mouth as soon as Hiruko had interrupted him. He knew what the man was truly telling him. They weren't to engage. And even if they did, there was no need for Kiba to worry because the puppeteer would deal with them with complete ease.

But when they were even closer to them, those ten male scents became nine. Now that they were closer, he could smell that one of those was actually a woman. And she was... With a blush spreading on his face, Kiba shook his head. There were pheromones emanating from all of the unknown people. Which meant they were all looking for- or engaged in- some kind of sexual activity.

Kiba felt like some kind of Peeping Tom. Even though he was seeing nothing, his nose could smell _everything_. And what he could smell allowed him to know that some rather adult activities were taking place.

The Inuzuka decided to keep this information to himself. Hiruko clearly felt sure of himself and his actions and seemed like he didn't want to be bothered by anymore information about the group. But it wasn't as if he could just stop breathing. So the scents became stronger with each step the boy took. And as they became stronger, he was able to single out something odd in the woman's scent.

He had never smelled something like that before. Deep inside her scent of lavender, soot, and meat- the only person that didn't smell of blood at all-, Kiba found something that didn't smell _right_. It wasn't organic. And it didn't smell like anything natural he had ever smelled before. If anything, it smelled synthetic and manufactured. Like the pills prescribed by doctors. But, even then, there was something off about it.

It didn't smell like any kind of drug he had ever come into contact with before. And it made his stomach drop, even though he couldn't truly understand why.

But once they were close enough to where the group was, Kiba began to understand just why he felt so _wrong_. There were no moans, no sounds of pleasure or pain or anything that would usually accompany any kind of sexual activity. None from the woman, at least. There were rather loud pants and moans from one man, all the while the other eight let loose a few sounds every now and then.

"Hiruko, we have to-"

"No we don't."

Kiba stared at the man with wide eyes, startled by his growl.

"Leave them to their own devices. I do not know why you wish to deal with a group of foes stronger than _you_. But I do not wish to be late returning to the base." Hiruko barked out with a glare at the boy.

And this was when Kiba noticed that they were still too far from the group for the other man to see or even _hear_ the things Kiba already knew. And with the way they were going, they would never truly meet with the group of rapists. They would pass a few miles away from them, but never truly be able to see them.

Hiruko wanted to continue to not be late. But Kiba could smell and hear everything that was going on. And it made his blood boil to even think of someone daring to rape a _drugged woman_.

"I'm sorry, Hiruko, but..." Kiba muttered softly, then prepared his body to run. "I can't follow your orders this time."

He ran as fast as his body allowed. A few seconds after he had bolted, he heard Hiruko's tail begin to chase after him. But he jumped from side to side to avoid the encroaching piece of metal, eyes narrowed in determination as he followed his nose and ears.

"Ah, she used to be _so tight_. But now she's _loose enough_."

The boy had to strain to hear those words. And when he took note of them, he growled and forced his body to move faster, even going as far as falling into his four legged stance to do so.

"Who wants the next turn, boys?"

The trees blurred past him as he ran. And one of the scents became agitated, meaning that one of the man was more eager than the rest to continue with their activities.

"I do, Akeno! Maybe we can even tag team her!"

"Mighty fine idea, Baito!"

A sneer found its way onto the boy's face when a soft moan emanated from the woman as her body was moved. She wasn't aware of what was happening. But her body knew. And it would know for the rest of her life, no matter how much she tried to move on from it.

"I can't let this go any further!" Kiba hissed to himself, jumping onto one final branch before he stopped moving.

Below him he could see the group of nine men. Most of them were seated in a circle by a fire, one of them was cooking. But the smell of the food was completely overtaken by the strong smell of their arousal at the woman. And the woman? She was inside of a tent with two other men. One of them was handing her over to the other, contentment pouring out of his body.

Kiba was so pissed off by what he saw that he almost saw red.

With shaky hands, he grabbed the poisoned kunai from the pouch on his leg. He had six. That would leave three men to deal with after the initial onslaught if he chose to use all of his kunai first. But he also had his retractable scythe in his pack and he could use it to parry and strike at more than one enemy. And all of the men were distracted by their own sex drive. If he played his cards right, he'd be able to take most of them down before they even knew what was happening.

Shaking the pack off his shoulders, the boy grabbed the scythe with his left hand while the right kept the kunai gripped tightly. He stared at it for a moment, slight revulsion passing through him as he looked at the murderous piece glinting metal.

If they had been less people to take care of, the boy would have been able to use his double blades. But he'd need a weapon large enough to block attacks from the front and the back without too much difficulty. The small blades allowed for defense, but he would have to move extremely fast to be able to dodge and block everything. And he wasn't sure just how good these men were.

With a grim frown, the boy pocketed one kunai and looked down at the encampment of men. They had not noticed him. From behind him, he could hear Hiruko's soft clicking. He had about twenty seconds before the man arrived to throttle him. If he wanted to stop these men, he would have to act fast. He could not hesitate.

The idea of killing the men didn't pass through his head once. He was just thinking of ways to stop them from hurting the vulnerable woman any further.

Raising his right hand, the Inuzuka glared at the men nearest to him. Then he threw all of the projectiles at them without a single sound, awfully silent as he began to move.

All kunai hit their targets. One man was hit in the shoulder, another in the leg, another in the stomach, and the last two in their backs. Shouts of surprise and pain left them as soon as they had registered what had happened, and they all looked up to try and find whoever had tried to hurt them.

Kiba then ran off to the side, eyes set on the five men he had hit with the weapons. The two in the tent had heard the noises, but had not moved to leave. And the one that had _not_ been hit looked at all of his comrades in surprise.

The poison took approximately five seconds to begin to affect the men's nervous system. They all fell with further gasps and shouts of surprise, making the man that hadn't been hit to stand up and run to the nearest and begin to look him over.

When he was completely distracted, Kiba struck. The Inuzuka ran out of the cover of the trees and jumped right at him, managing to kick him in the head with enough force to knock him out. Then, once on the ground, the boy glared at the tent and pulled the scythe to its full size.

"What the hell's going on out there?!"

The man was shocked to see Kiba standing over the group of men. He must have been completely stupefied. How could a kid leave five men on the floor groaning and immobile and one completely knocked out?

"The woman."

Kiba's growl felt as if it had come from someone else's body. It was demanding and angered, yet seemed rather calm. It didn't make any sense. But the boy wasn't about to question it.

"Kid, stop playing ninja." The man hissed. "We have a very good broad here. What? Do you want a chance?" A sick smirk found its way onto the man's face then. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you? A growing boy and all."

An odious sneer made its way onto Kiba's face, "Let her go."

"Not going to happen." The man smirked at Kiba, then buttoned up his pants and stuck his head inside the tent. "Hey, Baito, I've got something to deal with. Keep her warm for me, will ya?"

"Sure thing!"

A moan of pleasure.

Kiba's grip on his scythe became so tight it began to hurt.

"No kid tells me what to do." The man shook his head as he said this, then jumped at the boy.

Admittedly, he moved rather fast. But Kiba was so focused on getting the girl to safety that he wasn't caught off guard by it. Instead he merely moved his feet and brought the scythe up to his face, successfully blocking the powerful kick the man was bent on delivering to his face. With a groan of exertion, the boy pushed the man off, then jumped at him with the slash of his weapon.

The man managed to dodge out of the way, but Kiba twisted his body at the last second kneed the man in the side of his stomach. The bastard shouted in surprise at the pain that came from the savage attack, but Kiba didn't stop. Once he'd landed on the floor once more, the Inuzuka turned back to the man, twirled the scythe in his hands, and smacked him in the side of his head with the bottom part of it. Then, when the man staggered back in pain and stupefaction, Kiba ran forward and delivered a flying knee right beneath his jaw, effectively knocking him out.

Only one man was left. Just one more and the woman would be safe.

Turning around to the tent, Kiba sniffed at the air. Hiruko had arrived. And he was near. But Kiba couldn't see him.

Yet, when the boy took a step towards the tent, he found out why he could smell Hiruko, but not see him. The tent was sent flying, pierced through the middle by the very metal tail that had wrapped around his waist many times before. There was blood on the tip of the speared head.

The puppeteer said nothing as he looked at Kiba with a glower. And he moved away from where the tent had once stood to begin to inspect all of the bodies left behind by the young Inuzuka.

In essence, he was telling Kiba to get to the woman and hurry up. So the boy ran over to her without pause, not even stopping to process the sharp sound of a stab that came after Hiruko had looked over the body of the last man he had knocked out.

When he got to the woman, she was resting over a cot. Her whole body was exposed and Kiba felt his stomach begin to retch and his throat closed up. Tears began to sting at his eyes as he looked over the wounds delivered to the woman. At least, they had not cut her. She was bruised horribly. But there wasn't blood to deal with... _Too much blood,_ at least. Blood had dripped onto the cot from where the men had brutalized her.

Rushing to pick up whatever clothes there were of hers, Kiba grimly noted there was only a set of bra and panties. And those were dirty and blood stained. But it wasn't as if he could leave her naked. So he pulled them onto her body with tears threatening to spill. Then, once she was partially covered with the underwear, the boy untied the cloak from his waist and pulled it over her arms.

It wasn't big enough for her. She was at least five feet tall. But it was spacious and fitted over her body easily enough. So, while her forearms and legs were left somewhat exposed, the rest of her body was covered. Kiba closed the cloak to make sure none of her body other than face, forearms, and legs could be seen.

"We can't leave her out here." He choked out through tears, his breathing quickening as his chest became tighter.

She just lay there, motionless. She was breathing softly and heavily. And her face seemed almost peaceful.

"We won't. There's a village nearby. Most probably, she was taken from there. We'll take her back there and then head back to the base."

Hiruko's tail wrapped softly around her body and lifted it up. Then the man began to move away from Kiba, in the direction they had been going towards in the first place.

Kiba was left behind for a second. And in that second, he looked over the bodies of the savage bastards and blood that now stained the floor.

Two of them were bleeding. The rest Hiruko had left alone. All of them were motionless and dead.

Beginning to feel sick, Kiba looked down at his body and saw his arms. And in a sudden moment of hate, he pulled down the sleeves that had stayed up to his elbow amidst the fighting. How could he be rejoicing in being healed when another had just gone through something similar to what had happened to him? It was _sick_.

He ran after Hiruko with tears struggling to fall.

* * *

All was dark in the Inuzuka Clan Head's house. No lights were turned on. Not even the one on the back porch Hana allowed to stay lit up every night in case her younger brother somehow made his way back to their home.

She had taken to leave that light on every night. At first, it had been out of a pure need to have _something_ for Kiba to find once he finally returned home. But after more and more days passed without her little brother appearing, leaving this part of the house lit took on a whole new meaning. From being left out for Kiba it somehow became the one thing to keep Hana sane at night.

The fact that it was turned off now in the middle of the night seemed odd. Especially considering how the woman had not allowed that light to be left unlit ever since her brother's team had come back without him.

Kakashi knew that something bad was going to happen tonight. The lack of light in the clan head's house was enough of an omen for that. But just what was going to happen, he did not know.

Earlier that week, Iruka had told him that he should go and see Kiba's family. The teacher had said this to try and make him feel guilty enough to give away any details that dealt with the kid. But what the teacher did not know was that Kakashi had already been keeping an eye on them. Ever since he had been able to move, he had been secretly visiting them during the nights to look in on them when the whole family unit was there.

He knew just how badly Hana was coping with her brother's disappearance. No amount of reassurance from the Hokage would ever help her. Until she saw her little brother returned to the village, the tokubetsu jonin would not be able to move on with her life. And, although Tsume was trying to muscle on, it was only a matter of time before she too fell to the sickness that engulfed Hana. A sickness that could not be treated with any worldly medicines.

Kakashi was no strangers to omens. He had lived his life by believing and understanding them. And he was very sure that there was something that would happen tonight in the Inuzuka compound that he would have no way of stopping. He just had no idea what it could be.

~/~

Screams. Screams of pure fear. Those were the screams that were coming from the Inuzuka home. Kakashi was jolted out of his reading by those screams of anguish. And he moved before he could even think of where they had come from.

Breaking through the window to the room where the screams were coming from without a thought about how much trouble he could get into, the Copy nin found himself inside of Hana Inuzuka's room. The young woman was sobbing and screaming in her sleep, grasping and clawing at a nonexistent enemy.

"Hana! Calm down!" The man shouted as he dropped down to be beside the woman, grasping her shoulders tightly to shake her back into reality. "You're safe, you're fine!"

Her struggles became just a bit less desperate, but she still sobbed loudly and shouted. Shouted for Kiba.

"Kiba! Come back! Don't leave me! _Please!"_

"Hana, it's Kakashi. You are in Konoha. You are _not_ _with Kiba_."

Her quivering hands slowed in their desperate grasping. Her shouts became soft whispers. Then the woman gasped suddenly and her eyes opened wide, unfocused and searching for something she would not find in her room.

"Kiba!" Was her final shout before she stopped moving completely.

She wasn't screaming or struggling anymore. Instead, the young woman was completely still and barely even seemed to breathe.

Kakashi allowed a few seconds to pass for the woman to come back to the real world. Then he pried his hands away from her shoulders and leaned back on his haunches. "Hana?" He tried.

A few seconds passed without her saying anything. Then the woman looked down at the shattered glass on her floor and smiled softly, sadly.

"Would you like some tea, Kakashi?"

The question was odd. But the man didn't have it in himself to say no.

* * *

When Itachi finally stepped foot inside of the Akatsuki's base, he felt his chest relax slightly. He was only a few feet away from the young Inuzuka he had begun to deeply care for. It would only take a few minutes of debriefing for the Uchiha to finally get back to the boy. Without any words to his partner, the dark haired man made his way towards the halls that would lead to the leader's room.

But once he was in the long corridors, he could hear soft shouts. His attention was grasped immediately by them. And although he knew he should have gone to the leader's room to finally finish his mission, his curiosity got the best of him. He turned to look at Kisame, who had been walking behind him without any sarcastic comments for once. And when their eyes met, both men wordlessly agreed to check out the odd sounds rather than continue to the leader.

"Calm down, you little shit! I'm not going to- Hey! Don't fucking cut me!"

"Hidan, you waste of space, hold his arms down! If you let them loose, he's going to hurt himself!"

"Shut the fuck up, cheap bastard! You're not the one he just fucking slashed!"

Itachi quirked an eyebrow at the shouts coming from Hidan and Kakuzu. Those two barely ever got along and worked together properly. For them to be working together- albeit as unsuccessfully as they doing so- was odd.

"No! Don't touch me! Get the hell away from me! Let go of me! Let me go! You fucking bastards!""

Itachi's curiosity was immediately replaced by anger. Kiba's shouting was desperate. And the fear in the boy's voice made Itachi's heart clench and a dark glare to make its way onto his face. He didn't know just what was going on. But he could hear that Kiba was terrified and the men with him were doing _nothing_ to calm him down.

Without needing to hear anymore, Itachi made his way to his and Kisame's room. Once there, he slammed the door open and his dark eyes fell onto a sight that made his blood boil. Kakuzu and Hidan were both working on restraining Kiba, all the while the boy struggled violently to free himself. There were tears streaming down the boy's face and he was gasping in irregular and harsh breaths.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The Uchiha's voice was heavy and serious, his dark eyes focused solely on the three males before him. Anger and rage bubbled up inside of him, growing with each second that passed without the men letting go of the Inuzuka.

"Calm down you tiny bastard!" Hidan held onto Kiba's arm, which was struggling violently to free itself. "Or I swear to Jashin-"

"End that sentence and lose your tongue!"

"Well pardon my threats, sushi breath!" The Jashinist growled with a glare at the shark nin. "But you're not the one holding the little bit- Bastard!"

Because he had turned most of his attention to Kisame to shout at him, Hidan had loosened his grip just slightly on Kiba's arm. And at the first chance the boy got, he had lashed out with the arm and smacked the man right in the jaw. Hidan's face had whipped to the side, but he'd recovered quickly with a glare and a sneer at the boy on the bed.

"Do that again! I fucking dare you!"

" _Please!_ Let me go!" Kiba sobbed, continuing to try and fight his way out of the men's grip. "I'm _begging_ you!"

"Let go of him right now!" Itachi ordered as more and more tears streamed down the Inuzuka's cheeks. "If you don't want me to kill you _both_ , you'll leave this room!" His voice was aggressive and vicious, things he had never allowed his voice to show. But seeing the boy restrained by the brutes... They were lucky he didn't strike them down where they stood.

"If we do, he'll hurt himself again." Kakuzu growled in irritation, voice clipped. "It's not-"

"Just do what he says, Kakuzu." Kisame warned the man, moving out of the room. "Leave."

Hidan and Kakuzu shared a look after Kisame had ordered them out. But the Jashinist hissed and shook his head. "This is _my_ sidekick! I'm not letting him-"

Kakuzu's dark tendrils wrapping around his body had Hidan shutting up immediately. And the man moved away from Kiba, bringing Hidan with him and out of the room. Once he was freed, the boy's struggling slowed, becoming less vicious. Kisame looked at Itachi once more before he walked after Kakuzu and a struggling Hidan, closing the door behind him to allow Itachi to be left alone with the young boy.

Itachi waited until the door closed completely before he moved. But once it was properly shut, the Uchiha couldn't help himself. He ran to the bed side and brought the boy into his arms. Hugging him tightly, Itachi cupped his face and rubbed at the tattooed cheeks, moving the tears as he did so.

"Kiba, it's Itachi. There's no need for you to struggle. I'll keep you safe." He whispered into the boy's ears, then moved his head so the boy could inhale his scent.

Time passed by slowly and painfully. It seemed like an eternity before Kiba began to respond. But when he did, Itachi had to stop himself from squeezing the boy too tightly.

Kiba's hands raised slowly, shakily. And the grabbed onto Itachi's cloak gingerly, as if they couldn't really grasp it. But the more he breathed in Itachi's scent, the tighter his grip became. But Itachi didn't move and threaten Kiba's very rocky sanity. He stayed still and allowed the boy to come back on his own.

After a few seconds, he felt the boy's head begin to move back against his hand, pushing against it to be able to look up at the man."I-Itachi?"

Itachi had to stop himself from smiling like an idiot when those beautiful brown eyes looked up at him. They were surrounded by a vibrant red, those sobs having hit the boy hard. But they were wide and amazed, even hopeful.

"I'm here, Kiba." The Uchiha whispered, lowering his face so his forehead rested against the boy's shoulder. "We finished the mission. I'm back, Kiba."

More time passed in silence. Then the hands moved from clutching at Itachi's cloak so Kiba's arms could wrap around Itachi's neck.

"I... Itachi, I thought you had left me... I dreamt those bastards had..." A violent shudder wracked through Kiba's body as a soft soft escaped him. "I thought-"

"It didn't happen." Itachi cut in, tightening his grip on the boy. "It didn't happen and those monsters are dead. They will _never_ hurt you again."

Silent tears fell onto Itachi's shoulder. But he just allowed Kiba to cry onto him.

It hurt to admit, but those men _would_ hurt Kiba again. As long as they were in his mind, they'd be able to mutilate and violate Kiba whenever he allowed them to.

"I'm here to protect you, Kiba."

His arms tightened once more around the boy. And Kiba returned the gesture by tightening his own grip on Itachi's neck.


	32. Doubt

"What were you two doing with Kiba?"

"What did it look like, you finned idiot!? We were trying to get _my sidekick_ to calm the fuck down!"

Kisame ignored Hidan's heated glare and instead focused on Kakuzu, who only sighed with a soft shake of his head.

"We heard him screaming as if he were being murdered." The man answered gruffly, looking down at the floor instead of meeting Kisame's gaze. "And when we got to him, he had hurt himself during his nightmares. I counted at least four minor cuts on his arms before we tried to restrain him."

The shark nin frowned at the answer, but still nodded. "Do you know what might have set him off?"

Kisame was worried. Kiba had not had a nightmare that violent in the whole time they had known each other. Not even fresh from the traumatizing experience had he ever hurt himself because of his subconscious thoughts. Granted, Itachi had been there to subdue him with his kekkai genkkai... But... If Kisame were being completely honest with himself... He had been _terrified_ to see the kid in that state.

And to know the reason _why_ he was so broken... It made the Traitor of the Mist's blood boil.

"Not really." Hidan answered in a much more subdued tone, throwing himself back onto the couch behind him to cross his arms over his chest. "But that puppet fucker might know. He took Kiba away from his studies in Jashinism a couple a days ago. They returned this afternoon from a 'mission'." The man crooked his fingers at this, scoffing at it. "The fucker's lying! The leader doesn't send any member of the Akatsuki alone! Much less with the pup."

Hidan was being cooperative... Why was _Hidan_ being cooperative?

Quirking an eyebrow at the man's uncharacteristic helpfulness, Kisame processed what the man had said.

Hiruko had taken Kiba out for a mission? And they'd both been out for more than one day?

The thought that began to cross through Kisame's mind made his frown deepen and his anger begin to grow. He had just seen Kiba go through one of the most violent fits of nightmares Kisame had ever seen anyone go through. He had been screaming, _begging_ for someone to let him go. Hiruko had taken him out of the base for some unsanctioned mission.

"Where is he right now?" Kisame asked in a tight voice, eyes narrowing as he tried to restrain the anger that continued to build up.

If that fucker had hurt Kiba in _any_ way!

"Fuck if I know!" Hidan growled back, "But he must have done something to my sidekick! And he's going to fucking pay!"

In his anger, the shark nin barely registered Hidan calling Kiba by such an odd title. If he had listened, he would have found it very odd that Hidan continued to call the kid that, even though Kiba was supposed to have kept his distance from him. But because insinuations of what Hiruko might have done that had caused Kiba to devolve so much continued to run through his head, the blue skinned man barely even noticed it.

"Calm down, Hidan." Kakuzu growled with a roll of his green eyes, looking up to finally look at the clearly angered Kisame. "And you too. Believe me when I tell you that Hiruko wouldn't harm a single hair on the kid's head. Whatever happened to him, Hiruko didn't do it."

The man's anger fluctuated slightly at the uncharacteristically comforting words from one of the darkest and most silent members of the Akatsuki. But before Kisame could ask just why the man seemed so sure of himself, Hidan was jumping up from the couch and hissing at his partner.

"And how would you know that, fuck face!? _No one_ knows that puppet fucker! Not a single bit! For all we know, Hiruko may not even be his real name! Hell, the bastard may even be a fucking she disguised as a he!"

For being an insane man, Hidan's points made complete sense to Kisame. And it was when he noticed that he was agreeing with _Hidan_ of all people that the man noted just how much he truly cared for Kiba. If this sudden fit of nightmares had happened to anyone other than the kid, Kisame wouldn't have given a single damn.

Hidan had gotten right in Kakuzu's face to shout all this, which had made the man push him away with a shove to his face. Then Kakuzu had stood up to glare at Hidan, shoulders squared and demeanor threatening.

"Shut up before you have to get stitched back together." Kakuzu growled threateningly, then looked at Kisame. "You haven't seen him around the kid. You haven't seen _any_ of us around him. But he's grown on us. _Especially_ on Hiruko. He protects Kiba from _this idiot_." The man hissed with a jab of his thumb in Hidan's direction. "And he's been training him to use puppets. Do you think he'd spend so much time on helping the kid only to hurt him?"

Then Kakuzu turned to Hidan once more, "Keep quiet of matters you have no knowledge of. I'm sick and tired of hearing you run your idiotic mouth!"

"If's he's so Jashin damned innocent," Hidan glared at his partner, squaring his own shoulders as a show of not backing down. "Then where is the puppet fucker? If he weren't guilty, he would have nothing to hide, yeah? But we haven't seen hide or hair of the-"

"Shut up, Hidan."

All three men turned to the entrance of the living room they had congregated in, only to find Hiruko's large form lumbering towards all of them. His dark eyes were narrowed with irritation and his voice rumbled lowly, dangerously. And his gait was slow, but steady. He looked like a man with nothing to hide, if ever Kisame had seen one.

"I was in a meeting with the leader, the reason why I was not able to come and assist with whatever happened to _my_ student."

There was that possessive note when speaking to Kiba once more. Just what kind of mess had the kid gotten himself into while Kisame and Itachi were away on their mission?

"Bullshit! You were the one that sent him into that world of madness!" Hidan glared at the man with a ferocity Kisame had never seen in the man before, his body tensed and prepared for some kind of fight. "You were the last one to be with him before he ended up screaming bloody murder! So you _must_ have done something to him, you fucker!"

The puppeteer's eyes didn't once stray from Kisame's own. He didn't turn to look at Hidan with any glares or contempt. Instead he just continued looking right at the shark nin, making a point of ignoring the shouting man.

"I took Kiba on a mission. We returned a few hours ago. On the way back, we ran into a rather..." The man halted at this point, even though his eyes continued on Kisame. "Unpleasant situation. He ran off before I could stop him." Then Hiruko made a point of looking over at Hidan with a glare. "Just what were you insinuating that I had done, Hidan?"

The silver haired man sneered at Hiruko, taking a step towards him with his fists clenched. "What happened to the kid is no big secret. We _all_ know what happened. How the fuck could you take advantage of him?!"

A deathly silence fell over the four men as Hidan and Hiruko glared at one another, tempers flaring.

But Kisame, instead of feeling angry like those men, felt taken aback. From Hidan's words, it was rather apparent what he knew. What the rest of the organization knew. But he couldn't believe they knew such a thing... _How could they know?_

"I took advantage of no one!" Hiruko shouted, finally losing some of his cool at Hidan's insistence. And then his voice dropped low, causing even Kisame's heart to be chilled at the threat. "And you better stop implying what you are implying if you do not wish to fully face my wrath."

Hidan's already pale coloring seemed to lighten even more because of the very severity in the puppeteer's voice, eyes wide and body seemingly frozen. Kakuzu, who stood a few feet away from him, stared at Hiruko with his bright green eyes widened as well. Both of them were completely taken aback by Hiruko's extremely earnest threat, undoubtedly believing he would follow through with it if Hidan continued.

"Kisame." Hiruko called, turning to the blue skinned man with one final glare at Hidan. "We ran into a woman getting raped by a gang of men. Kiba did as he wished and went to save her. Although I'm not sure..." The man sighed heavily now, "I believe he heard and smelled her getting raped. Even though he didn't see it, he was not spared from the harsh reality."

Kisame's blood froze.

Kiba had come across a rape.

 _Fuck_.

"That's what triggered the nightmares, then. He relived it through the woman." Kakuzu theorized, leaving Kisame both shocked and disappointed.

All three of them knew that Kiba had gotten raped before he had become part of their organization. Just _how_ did they know?

" _Fuck_."

Well, at least Hidan was feeling the same way Kisame was.

"He came across a gang rape? Shit, no wonder he was reacting so fucking violently. The kid... _Shit_." Hidan was at a complete loss for words, then he looked at Kisame. "Just what the fuck happened to him?"

The shark nin looked at the man and found that, for the first time since he had ever known the psychopath, the man actually seemed _worried_. His face was pulled into a genuine look of concern. And it was all because of Kiba Inuzuka.

Looking away from Hidan, Kisame found that both Kakuzu and Hiruko were looking at him. Undoubtedly, they wanted to know the details of what had happened to the kid. But he couldn't find it within himself to admit to what had happened. Not to these men. There were too many things that he didn't know to try and even explain what had happened.

"Hell." He answered simply, although with difficulty, then turned around and walked out of the room without waiting for them to say anything else.

* * *

Kiba hadn't wanted to talk about his nightmares at first. Instead, he had deflected Itachi's concern onto another one. And, to turn that concern onto another topic, had informed the older male of how he had begun to learn how to wield the scythe from Hidan.

The boy had known that Itachi would not like to hear about Kiba basically having disregarded the warning he had given the Inuzuka in the first day of being in the organization. But he had also not wanted to speak about what he had seen in his slumber. He hadn't wanted to be forced to relive through those memories yet again... They hurt a lot more than he would have thought they ever would.

His body creaked in phantom pains that hadn't hit him in a long time, brought back to life from the fresh imprint the nightmares had created in his mind. But the boy did his best to not show that his body remembered his pain so much so as to not alert Itachi.

"Yeah. I can safely say that I am now proficient in the art of wielding the scythe." The Inuzuka admitted softly, nestled warmly into Itachi's side. He loved being there, beside the older male. The man's scent was calming and positively familiar, helping him chase away the negatively familiar feelings of his worst days. "I know you told me to stay away from him, but it was kind of hard to deny becoming his student."

Itachi's hand passed softly over is hair, reminding Kiba a lot of is sister. Back when they were kids and they had to brave through their parents endless arguments, Hana would sneak into a terrified Kiba's room and hold him close to her, raking her hand in a show of comfort and camaraderie. Itachi's hand was much larger and didn't pass as softly as Hana's once did... But it still reminded the young Inuzuka of the family he had left behind.

After Kiba had finished explaining himself, they fell into silence. But from the way Itachi continued passing his hand through the boy's head, Kiba knew that he wasn't angry with him. Instead, the long haired male was most probably just processing the information, not reacting to it.

"I cannot fault you for stringing Hidan along..." The man's chest rumbled deeply and Kiba had to stop himself from pressing himself further to Itachi's side. "If it was what you thought was best to stay alive and safe, then I am proud you were able to fend for yourself while Kisame and I were gone. But now, you do not have to worry about deceiving the members of the organization. We can protect you once again."

Itachi's words had Kiba freezing for a second. Then the boy looked up at the man, only to find him looking down with a stern look on his face.

"You don't want me to continue learning from Hidan?" He asked, actually surprised.

He had known that Hidan was bad news. And he had known that Itachi would most probably not be happy with learning that Kiba had begun to learn from him. But, for some reason, Kiba had never thought he would not be able to continue learning from the Jashinist. Unintentionally, he had not thought that his routines would change once Itachi and Kisame came back.

"Kiba, why were Kakuzu and Hidan so worried about you?" Itachi's eyes narrowed marginally, but it was enough to let Kiba know there would be no way of deflecting _this_ conversation.

He may have escaped from telling him about his nightmares... But he would _not_ escape explaining the member's- most probably- unusual concern in him.

The man's gaze was so intense that Kiba had to look away. He was still shaken from the nightmares. From being left alone. From _deserving_ to be left alone.

He didn't want to be alone.

Itachi's hand had stopped passing through his hair.

"I went on a mission with them." Kiba began softly, pulling away just slightly from Itachi's heat. It felt almost suffocating now that he had to tell Itachi about how he had ignored his warnings. "And when we came back... I don't know why _Kakuzu_ was helping, I haven't spent much time with him. But Hidan has been teaching me how to use the scythe for days now. And I guess he's gotten attached to me. He even calls me his little sidekick."

Would Itachi grow angry with him for becoming so close to Hidan? And, worse yet, he still didn't know about Hiruko. He didn't know about how he'd been interacting with the puppet maker for a very long time. Would he be angered now? Would he be pissed off? Would he _leave_?

The idea chilled Kiba to his very bone. And, without much thought, he pressed himself into Itachi's side once more to chase it away.

Silence reigned over them both after Kiba had spoken up. And the boy didn't try to prompt the older male into speaking because he was much too terrified of what he might hear.

When Itachi's hand found its way into Kiba's hair once more, the boy was left confused and surprised. And when he spoke up, Kiba was left even more taken perplexed.

"You should get your hair cut." Itachi pointed out in a soft tone voice, losing the edge it had once had. "Eventually, it will begin to interfere during combat. And that's not very advisable."

Kiba had known his hair had been getting just a tad bit long... But he hadn't thought anyone would care about it, much less point it out.

Blinking up at him, Kiba nodded softly, "Yeah... But..." Thinking quickly, Kiba decided to just allow himself a small smile. "I was thinking of growing it out like you."

"Long hair?" Itachi hummed, picking a particularly long strand up between his thumb and pointer finger. "I have no idea if you would even look good like that."

"What? You think I look good with short hair?" Kiba breathed out, heart suddenly finding its way into his throat.

Itachi thought he looked good?

The idea of the man ever finding anyone... Well... _Good to look_ _at_ had never come across the boy's mind. But now, for some reason, he found his face heating up at the very idea of looking good in his eyes.

Itachi didn't answer and instead looked away. And Kiba couldn't help but do the same.

Itachi thought _he_ looked good?

His cheeks were rather hot now. To avoid Itachi seeing the blush on his face, Kiba pressed it into his side, breathing in the man's scent.

... He wouldn't mind if Itachi thought he was good looking, though...

* * *

As Hana prepared the tea they were to drink, it began to rain softly. The temperature dropped just slightly, reminding the inhabitants of Konoha that winter was beginning to make its way to them.

If Hana shivered slightly, she played it off as merely being a bit cold in her light pajamas. And even if it hadn't been because of that, Kakashi never would have commented on that.

The woman didn't need to get kicked while she was already ten feet under.

"Would you like a bit of honey in your tea?"

The woman was already adding the dash of the sweet substance to the cup before Kakashi could tell her that he didn't have much of a sweet tooth.

There was barely any light in the kitchen, even though they were both awake and moving around. Hana hadn't turned them on and Kakashi hadn't made any moves to do so either. There must have been a reason for it. Besides, the moon's beams shined just slightly from the window over the stove, giving them enough light to move and see without too much difficulty.

When she placed the cup before him, Kakashi thanked Hana softly. Then, when she turned her back to him, he turned to the side, lowered his mask, and took a sip of the drink. It was sweeter than what he would normally enjoy, but he had no more complaints aside from that.

"Kiba would always add too much honey to his tea..." She commended offhandedly as she finished preparing her own tea, moving to sit across from Kakashi. Her voice was sad and her lips were pulled into a bitter smile. It didn't look right on her face. "Mom would always scold him, even though she always made sure to have our sugar and honey supplies full for him... We haven't had to buy honey and sugar for a long time now..."

Kakashi had not known Hana Inuzuka since her genin days. Nor from her chunin ones. He had been dealing with his own life for so long that he had allowed other's lives to barely affect him in the past. But he remembered the first day he had met the strong Inuzuka woman. And he couldn't help but feel disheartened to see how much she had changed.

"Hana, Kiba's just on a mission that's taking more time than the Hokage expected." The words were hollow as they tumbled from his lips, but Kakasi couldn't help himself from saying them.

He felt wholly responsible for what had happened to Kiba.

If only he hadn't allowed Itachi to get the best of him!

"That's a bunch of bull and you know it." The woman breathed out with a shake of her head, then looked out towards the night sky outside the house. "She's most probably just covering for my little brother getting murdered. If she weren't, she wouldn't have stopped any of the members of the clan to go and back him up. She's hiding something and I know it."

Her words... They didn't make sense.

The young woman was speaking of something that would make many others angered and agitated, something that would send them to seek justice. Yet, there she sat, with her cup of tea in hand, even though she didn't try and drink from it.

"If you're so sure, why haven't you called the Hokage out?" Kakashi asked, genuinely curious about her answer.

If she knew... Why didn't she try to change something?

She didn't turn to look at him when she began to speak. But her dark and piercing eyes- hollow because of a cold lack of emotion that left Kakashi feeling like _trash_ \- found his own as she spoke.

"Because I want to save my family from my own fate for as long as possible." With this, she looked down at the cup in her hands, bitter smile finding its way onto her lips. "They all hope that the clan heir will come back. Who am I to dash those hopes away from them so early? It is better to still hope, after all. And... The longer they hope, the longer I have to prepare myself for what is to come."

Hana Inuzuka had never struck Kakashi as a pessimistic type of person. Her brother meant more to her than the jounin had ever thought likely.

"And..." Kakashi hesitated softly, somewhat worried of what the woman would answer. "What is to come, Hana?"

She didn't look up from her drink anymore.

"... I don't know..."

* * *

Kisame walked into his room to find Itachi and Kiba cuddling.

On a normal occasion, he would have ribbed on Itachi for this. But seeing how he was rather harrowed because of his past conversation with the three members of the Akatsuki, he decided that any jokes could be left for later on when things had calmed down.

"Inuzuka, how you feeling?"

The boy jumped just slightly after Kisame had spoken up, but the shark nin wasn't all the surprised. It stung just a bit, though, although he'd never admit to it. Why was it that Itachi was the only one that could comfort the kid? He was just as good at comforting him!

"I'm good, Kisame." Kiba smiled softly, although it was strained.

Kisame had to stop himself from clenching his fists in anger.

How anyone could hurt a kid like this was beyond him. How anyone could _rape_ a kid was even _further beyond._ And how anyone could hurt, rape, and torture a kid like this for _days on end_ was so out of this world that Kisame didn't even want to think about it.

Those fuckers deserved the violent death he had dished out.

He only kind of regretted not having mutilated the ring leader of the mercenaries camp. That had been left to Itachi.

"Hiruko filled me in on what happened." Kisame informed the boy and he didn't miss the soft gasp and sudden stiffening of Kiba's body. "But I think it'd be a good idea for you to tell us just what happened to send you into such a dark place."

He knew that Kiba would immediately refuse his advice. But Kisame was no fool. And Itachi would most probably want to know what had happened. And, knowing Kiba, the time Kisame had spent out of the room had been used deflecting Itachi's questions. And Itachi, being the soft hearted fool he had become, would have allowed that deflection.

But now that both he and Itachi were looking for answers, Kiba would find himself unable to deny them knowledge. The kid was good when it came to one on one trickery. But he couldn't keep his resolve with two or more people hounding on him.

... He had grown too close to the kid.

Like Kisame thought he would, Kiba looked from one man to the other with wide eyes. Then, with Kisame counting down in his mind, the boy sighed and hung his head. Then, when the shark nin reached the end of his count down, he began to speak.

"They were raping her. I didn't know it at first... Something about it smelled off, you know?" No, Kisame didn't, but he didn't interrupt Kiba. "There was something synthetic in her scent. A drug. Something sick and _vile_." The boy spit the words, body stiffening further in clear anger. "She was completely knocked out when we got to her. And when she woke up..." Kiba drifted off then, voice tearing up. "She didn't remember _a thing_."

Hiruko had said Kiba had come across a gang rape. But he had said nothing of what had happened to the men that had been raping the woman.

"What did you do?"

Itachi's voice quivered minutely. If someone hadn't known him, they would have mistaken it for anger or simple confusion. But Kisame knew the man well enough to distinguish between his tones. And Itachi's slight quiver came from frustration and worry. He was terrified of what might have happened to Kiba.

Kiba didn't answer after Itachi had asked. He took his time composing himself. And both Kisame and Itachi allowed him to pull himself back together.

Kisame himself was struggling with not lashing out in frustration.

If only they hadn't taken so long! If only the kid hadn't stayed behind to assist Hidan and Kakuzu! If only!

He hated those two words so much.

"I killed them..." Kiba whispered, then looked up at Kisame. His eyes were watery, struggling to keep the tears inside. "What else could I have done?"

The boy was tearing himself apart from within. No wonder his nightmares had been so violent.

In an extremely uncharacteristic move, Kisame damned images and made his way towards the boy, pulling him into a tight hug and away from Itachi.

"Quite frankly, I don't give a damn." He rumbled lowly, hugging the boy tightly to him. "They were monsters and you put them down. That's all that matters in the long run, don't you think? They won't be able to hurt anyone else."

The Inuzuka took very little time in hugging him back. And, even though it annoyed Kisame to no end, he was relieved when he found that Kiba reciprocated his affections, if even with a bit of hesitation.

"We took her back to her home... Her parents wanted to give us a gift for saving their daughter." Kiba continued, voice slightly muffled from being pressed against Kisame. "The system of laws they have in place there aren't strong enough, so they weren't able to chase after the kidnappers. They had already accepted the idea of never seeing their daughter again, of burying her memory even though they wouldn't be able to bury her body... And I can't help myself from wondering if that's how..."

Kiba didn't continue after that.

He didn't have to.

_"If that's how my family is coping with my disappearance."_

Kisame had never hated the damn deal Itachi had struck as much as he did right then and there with the boy crying softly into his shoulder.

And from the way Itachi looked away when Kisame looked up at him, the man was sure the Uchiha was having second doubts. And that was fine by him.


	33. New Day

Kiba had a fitful sleep during the rest of the night. Itachi knew this because he was the one to stay in the room with him rather than Kisame.

The shark nin was infuriating in his unabashed displays of disdain for Itachi. Especially because the Uchiha knew that the only reason the other would be so annoyed with him was because of the very person sleeping restlessly on the bed across from him.

Witness to a rape.

It sickened Itachi to merely think of what Kiba had seen. What he had _smelled_.

Even though he couldn't smell the way the boy could, he understood that, sometimes, smelling and hearing things was a thousand times worse than just _seeing them_. Especially when Kiba had undoubtedly been able to smell the lust in the men and the drug in the woman.

... The woman's parents were evil...

With a soft sigh, Itachi lowered his head into his hands with a slight shake of it.

Here he was blaming two innocent humans that had just been kind. Even though what had happened hadn't been their fault, Itachi still felt slight hate for them. He was deplorable.

But if it hadn't been for them, Kiba would not have broken down against Kisame.

Sure, even without their kindness, Kiba would have had nightmares. Itachi wasn't denying that. But if they hadn't been so _hauntingly human_ , Kiba would never have thought of his own family. The boy would never have been struck with the harsh reality he had unwittingly thrust his family into. He never would have been forced to face the things he had most probably managed push back to the very recesses of his mind.

Itachi knew he was being selfish. He had known it from the very beginning.

But, for some reason... Being selfish hadn't seemed _so wrong_ back then, all that time ago. Yet _now_ he felt like the greatest monster in the world.

A monster he truly was.

Kisame had been right all that time ago... he should have just allowed Kiba to go back with his teammates.

He had been weak. He should have known better than to succumb to his weaknesses.

The room was dark. Barely no light entered it except for a small sliver that came from the minutely ajar door. Still, that small sliver was enough for Itachi to be able to see Kiba's face pulled into a soft frown, eyebrows drawn tight, as his body fidgeted slightly. Even though he had managed to fall asleep, his dreams were undoubtedly haunting him once more.

Itachi had done this. He had been the cause of the nightmares. Not directly, though, he wouldn't stoop so low as to think that. But he was more than aware that if he hadn't chosen to make the deal with Kiba Inuzuka, the young tracker would not be going through so much mental turmoil. Indirectly, Itachi had condemned the young boy to these nightmares.

Getting up, the man made his way over to Kiba. He softly placed his hand on the boy's face, caressing the tattooed cheek. And as soon as his hand made contact with Kiba's face, the boy's movements stopped and his face smoothed.

How could Kiba give Itachi so much power over him? How could the boy possibly allow himself to believe in a monster such as himself? How could he find comfort in Itachi's icy touch?

Even as his thoughts grew darker, the man didn't stop stroking the boy's cheek. Partly, it was to keep Kiba safe from himself. But mostly, Itachi did it to calm himself.

* * *

Kakashi left Hana as the sun began to rise on the horizon. The woman, after managing to strike fear into Kakashi's heart with simple and curt words, had insisted he stay so she could make him some breakfast. She said it was as a payment for waking her up from such a horrible nightmare and caring. Kakashi felt even worse as he ate. But he didn't dare refuse the young woman.

Tsume had not shown her face during the whole night. Kakashi had not asked why. Hana had not said anything about it either.

They shared short and rather superficial conversation while they ate. The normal things one spoke about when trying desperately to avoid a situation.

"How are Pakkun and the rest of the pack?"

"Good. How has work been?"

"Good. How is your team? Have they been working out?"

"They're good. Naruto is off on a mission and Sakura is busy being taught by the Hokage. Any recent missions?"

And on they went. Never going too in depth with their answers and always keeping the conversation light.

But when the sun started to come out, they finished their curt conversation and Hana walked Kakashi to the front room. When at the door, the man apologized for the broken glass and promised to pay for any repairs. Hana had merely smiled, nodded curtly, and shown him out.

Kakashi had always known Hana to be a quiet sort of person. She wasn't as loud as her mother and brother. The Inuzuka had taken more after her father than her mother in that respect. Although no one ever dared point it out. Not after her father had done the thing no one thought an _Inuzuka_ would be capable of doing.

"Than you for caring, Kakashi."

That had been the last thing he had heard before the door to the Clan Head's house closed behind him.

If he had felt despicable before he had spoken with Hana, there wasn't a word strong enough to define the amount of hate he had for himself afterwards.

How many lives had he managed to screw over by not bringing the kid back?

Kurenai and Asuma were currently going through the rough period of unease and tension before their breakup. Neither _wanted_ to break up, but it seemed as if they just couldn't come together because of their problems.

The rest of the Inuzuka Clan was uneasy and tense. And this proved to be rather detrimental to the village in a pivotal and extremely vulnerable moment in time. More and more members of the clan came back from missions injured or took on even more dangerous missions in an almost reckless manner. And because the village was in need to seem stronger than they actually were, they were assigned those missions.

Kakashi had heard of at least one recent death in the Inuzuka Clan.

The Hokage had spread herself thin and it was showing in the amount of tension to be found all along Konoha. There was doubt and confusion in most of the ninja that had ever come in contact with Kiba Inuzuka, for all were wondering just where the boy could truly be. No genin had ever been sent on a mission that was more than a month long. And a month had already passed without a single sign of him.

Kakashi knew that he wasn't the only one to blame for Kiba's absence. He was very much aware if Kurenai and Asuma had not allowed Kiba to blind side them, maybe they would not be in this predicament. Or, maybe, if his pack had brought the kid back without his consent, things would be alright. But he was the only one that hadn't been hurt directly- other than by Itachi, of course, and even then it hadn't been _as bad as it could have been_ \- by Kiba up and disappearing. In his mind, he had to shoulder the blame and despair, if only to try and keep it from reaching anyone else.

Thinking over Hana's last words before they had spoken of little nothings, Kakashi's eyes narrowed. She was worried that something bad would come out of the Hokage's lies. Lies she had somehow managed to see through. And, quite frankly, he was worried too. Just how would the Inuzuka Clan truly react after hearing the truth of what happened to their heir? Even though the Hokage _had known_? It wasn't a pretty thought.

It was extremely early. The birds were only beginning to chirp and the early morning cold bit at him softly. But the Hokage must already be in her office... And he had something _urgent_ to tell her.

Without much further thought, the Copy Cat Nin set his gaze on the road out of the Inuzuka Compound, mind made. He would speak to the Hokage. No matter what.

* * *

Akamaru.

Ma and sis.

Shino.

Hinata.

Kurenai Sensei and Asuma Sensei.

A broken Kakashi.

Those _monsters_.

The woman.

Those bastards that raped her.

These were all the people Kiba saw in his nightmares. These were the people that haunted him. These were the people that refused to allow him any sleep.

Akamaru never wanted to see him again after he had abandoned him. And Kiba couldn't blame him. What kind of Inuzuka left their nin dog? What kind of Inuzuka betrayed the sacred trust between master and dog just because they couldn't handle a certain situation? It was pitiful. _He_ was pitiful.

Even if he somehow managed to work his way through Itachi's deal, his clan would never accept him. He would not be able to rejoin his pack. He would _deserve_ to.

Still... He at least had Itachi. He still had the man that had unselfishly saved him. The man that had selflessly thrown himself into a predicament he had nothing to do with and had helped Kiba and his friends out of a pure desire to help.

Even though the man had most probably not meant to, he had allowed Kiba to see that even if there was darkness and evil to be found running rampant around the world, there was also a small sliver of kindness and hope. Itachi was good and kind and everything Kiba could ever hope for in a person he was indebted to.

When he woke up, Kiba found that Itachi sat at the foot of his bed, head rested against the wall behind him while his right hand rested on Kiba's back. For, somehow, during the night, Kiba had managed to curl up into a ball and allowed the man enough space to sit himself in that manner.

A bright blush found its way onto Kiba's face as he noticed that Itachi was _touching him_ , but forced it down as he got up from his bed.

Even though he had gone through a horrible night, he doubted Hiruko would like for him to be late for practice. And if he was late for practice with Hiruko, then he'd be late for Hidan's lessons. And if he was late for Hidan's lessons... _Nothing good_ could come out of that. And he'd much rather _not_ find out how Hidan reacted to him being held even longer than what Hiruko usually kept him.

The boy got up from his bed and moved to grab a new set of clothes to change into after a bath, although he did spare one glance back at Itachi before he left the room completely. And the man seemed so peaceful in his sleep that... Well, Kiba didn't want to leave him. He just wanted to curl back up on the bed and fall asleep beside the man. But he had duties to complete. And he couldn't laze around, no matter how much he truly wished to.

When he stepped out of his room to head over to the bathroom, Kiba happened to run across Konan. The woman was walking down in his direction and smiled as soon as she noticed him.

"Good morning, Kiba." She greeted smoothly, which made Kiba smile back. "Are you ready for today's lesson?"

The question had Kiba blinking at the woman for a few seconds. Then his eyes widened and he asked, "Wait, that's today?"

Konan quirked her eyebrows at Kiba's words, then asked him, "A week has passed, yes? I told you I would be available to give you your lessons in a week's time."

"A whole week already?" The boy was stunned for he couldn't believe that already so much time had passed. Hadn't he just returned from his trip with Hiruko? Had they really taken a week for the whole thing?

"Yes. Now, were you going to bathe?" The woman pointed at the clothes in his hands, which made him nod dumbly. "Alright. I will go make you some breakfast. After, we shall begin your lessons."

Still taken aback, Kiba nodded and continued to walk in the bathroom's direction all the while Konan continued on her own way.

Had his whole venture with Hiruko really taken a whole week? The passing of time had felt so minimal... Had spending time with the puppet master really been so enjoyable that he had barely even noticed the days and nights bleeding together?

He had known that he had grown accustomed to being around the dangerous member of Itachi's organization. But he had never thought that he would find it enjoyable to be with them. Yet, he had always hated how fast time passed whenever someone was having fun. And he must have clearly enjoyed his time out with Hiruko if he had barely noticed.

It was a scary thought. But it was a thought.

With this in mind, he continued to make his way so he could bathe.

* * *

Hiruko had not liked the idea of Kiba missing out on further training because of Konan. But he had not put up much of an argument when Kiba had told him he would not be spending the morning in the workshop. Hidan, on the other hand, had put up such a fight that Kiba and Konan had been forced to give in and finish up before lunch so Hidan could take Kiba away at a reasonable time.

After he had eaten a rather odd breakfast- for Hidan, Hiruko, Konan, Kakuzu, and Kisame were all there in the kitchen eating with him- the boy was led to the leader's office by Konan.

It was odd. He had thought that Konan would take him to the training room for the lesson she was to teach. But, instead, she brought him here.

"Inuzuka. How are you?" The leader asked cordially as Konan motioned him into the room.

Kiba looked at the woman for a second, wondering why he had been brought to this office, then bowed respectfully at the man. "I am good. And you?"

"Intrigued, if I may speak honestly."

The answer surprised the boy. But the man explained himself rather than allow Kiba to wonder.

"Tell me, Kiba, what skills have you learned in your time with our organization?"

Immediately, the boy became worried. Why would the man want to know this?

With a curious glance at Konan, Kiba answered warily, "I've begun to learn the art of puppeteering, wielding the tantō, and the scythe. Hiruko, Kisame, and Hidan have all stepped up as teachers, in a way."

Konan walked away from Kiba at this point, over to the back of the room and away from Kiba's line of sight. But the boy continued to look at the leader's odd, piercing eyes, knowing that it wouldn't look good if he wavered in his show of confidence.

"And these three all stepped forward to teach you of their own accord? There was no external force on them?" The man asked, leaning forward in his seat as he clasped his hands together under his chin.

"None at all." Kiba shook his head softly, "They all just kind of decided to teach me. I don't really know why. But they were all pretty insistent on wanting to pass on their knowledge of their respective skills."

Of all of the people Kiba had come to meet in his time in this organization, the leader was the one that terrified and scared him the most. No person he had ever met in his life had ever managed to scare him so much with just a few terse words and a stern gaze.

"I see." The man muttered softly, then continued, "And Itachi? Has he tried to teach you anything?"

Being asked so many questions worried Kiba. Was he in trouble for learning? Was he about to get punished for allowing himself to be taken in by the men's desire to teach?

"Simple genjutsu." The boy answered with less confidence, now worried about just why the man was asking so many questions.

"Interesting."

But the man said nothing else.

Konan walked back with a board of what seemed to be shōgi in her hands, her face composed and calm like always. She made her way to stand in front of Kiba, then moved the board slightly for the boy to look at it.

"You know what shōgi is, correct?"

Kiba nodded quietly, wondering just why the woman would be bring this to his lesson. He had expected her to take him to the training grounds, just like Hidan and Kisame. But, considering how she had brought him to the leader's office instead. So, really, he had no idea what to expect from her anymore.

"Follow me." The woman turned around once more and moved so they were in the corner of the office, a few feet from the door they had entered through. "We shall sit here and begin our game."

The woman kneeled after she said this then began to set up the board. And Kiba, completely unsure as to what was truly supposed to happen, merely knelt in front of her and watched as she set it up. After she had finished, the woman looked up, smiled softly, and motioned at the pieces.

"We shall call this a practice test. We shall play one game to see where your skills are when it comes to strategizing. Would you like to begin?"

So that's what was going on!

Kiba looked down at the pieces, up at Konan, then back to the leader on the desk. The man was now scratching away at paper work, but, for some reason, the boy believed that his attention was not completely taken by it. Then the boy looked back at the purple haired woman and smiled softly.

"I'd feel better if you started."

"Of course."

~/~

In essence, Konan kicked his ass.

Kiba had never been a big shōgi player. He'd only really played it a handful of times in his life, and most of those had been with the much too lazy to care Shikamaru. He always lost against him. And he'd played against Shikaku Nara once, a long time ago, during a Clan Head meeting his mother had dragged him to. The man had been kind and the one to teach him the rules of the game in the first place. And he'd won at that time, but it was only because Shikaku had been dividing his attention between the game, his Clan Head duties, and a rather pissy Tsume Inuzuka.

After his last piece had been taken by the woman, Kiba had expected something horrible to happen. Maybe for the leader to stand up and strike him for having been stupid. Or maybe for Konan to hiss at him for having committed many stupid and foolish moves.

But none of that happened.

Instead, the leader hummed softly even though he never looked up from his work. Konan, on the other hand, smiled softly, packed up the pieces of the board, and nodded at Kiba.

"Good job, Kiba. What do you think, Pein?"

Once more the man hummed, then raised his head to look up at the two on the floor.

"The game was longer than I believed it would be." He supplied, then focused his gaze on Kiba. "He proved to have a more strategic mind than I believed we would find."

The corner of Konan's lips twitched almost cockily, "Like I said we would. So?"

The leader breathed in for a moment, leaning back in his chair, then nodded. "Then, Kiba, you are to come to my office with Konan every two days. You will be here from seven in the morning until nine and you shall learn strategy. Konan will be your teacher."

Kiba didn't even try to simulate his shock. His eyes widened and his jaw slackened, surprised at what he had just heard.

"I shall see you in a day, then. You are dismissed. Konan, if you would."

"Of course, leader."

With these respectful words, the woman stood up and pulled the Inuzuka up. Then, with a small smile in his direction, she walked him towards the office's door. Then, after she had opened it and Kiba had stepped out into the hallway, she smiled broadly at the boy.

"You did good, Kiba."

And then the door to the office closed, leaving Kiba outside with his face still showing just how confused he was.

~/~

Today was a day filled with surprises.

First of all, he had woken up with Itachi beside him. Then, Konan had tested him in his skills in shōgi. And, now, instead of a loud mouthed Hidan forcing his way into Kiba's day to continue teaching him about Jashinism and his favorite weapon, _Kakuzu_ was the one to retrieve him from the hallway.

"Come with me, kid." The man had growled almost dangerously, moving briskly in the opposite direction of the kitchen.

Kiba had looked at him with wide eyes but scurried after without needing the man to say anything else.

He was still wary of Kakuzu. He hadn't really had to face the man after he had lashed out at him and had been rather thankful of Hiruko and Hidan always squabbling like children for that. But it wasn't as if he could tell Kakuzu that he wouldn't go with him now. That would only shorten the man's already extremely short fuse.

What if he was finally going to get his revenge for Kiba having hurt him?

The idea terrified him.

It sucked that he was so terrified of the people he found himself around. But it wasn't as if he could stop himself from being afraid. Even though Itachi, Kisame, Hiruko and Hidan had shown him that they could be trusted, the rest of the members of this organization were still wild cards in the boy's mind. They could be great people... Or they could rip him limb from limb at the drop of a hat.

There were a lot of rooms in this base. Now that Kiba followed after Kakuzu, he noticed just _how many_ doors there were along this hallway.

Door after door rushed by as he hurried after the tall man, and, in the back of his mind, he wondered just what was hidden behind them. But soon enough Kakuzu was stopping in front of one of them and opening it, so Kiba wasn't able to craft too many wild ideas about what he might find behind closed doors.

When he stepped in after Kakuzu, he noted the sparsely furnished room. There were two desks set against opposite walls, two chairs in front of those desks, and what Kiba deemed as a metallic contraption with number keys on one of the desks.

"How are you with numbers?"

Kiba looked up the man as he walked into the room, "Not bad." He answered carefully.

"Can't be worse than Hidan..." He heard Kakuzu mutter as the man made his way over to the desk with the metallic contraption, then opened one of the drawers and pulled out a couple of papers.

"These are Hidan's most recent purchases. He insists that he's stayed on the budget, but I know the little weasel's lying. I have more pressing matters to tend to, but I'm sure you should be able to catch the discrepancy." The man explained as he brought the papers over and handed them to Kiba. "That's your desk. _Don't_ let me down."

The threat was strict. Yet, for some reason, it didn't feel as dangerous as it should have to Kiba.

"Uh..." The boy blinked dumbly as Kakuzu moved back to his own desk and sat down before the large contraption. "Won't Hidan get angry if I don't go to-"

"Hidan's been taken care of, kid. Now get to work."

For some reason, Kiba immediately knew that by 'taken care of' Kakuzu meant that Hidan most probably had his limbs separated from his body at the moment.

Still, a small smile made its way onto his face as he looked down at the papers in his hands. Then he moved over to the desk, reading over the first few purchases Hidan had made. The little 'Fuck you, fuck face. I buy shit for my Lord, you fucking infidel.' at the corner of the page was a clear indicator that this was, indeed, Hidan's compilation.

* * *

Everything was falling apart.

Relations between clans were at a record low. Injuries amongst the Inuzuka Clan was at a dangerous high. And the level of tension to be found among the ranks of Konoha's shinobi was higher than anything Tsunade had ever seen before.

Partly, it was because of the unexpected instability their village had entered because of Orochimaru's surprise attack.

And she knew she couldn't exclusively blame Kiba's disappearance, but... It sure wasn't helping when it came to clan relations.

Shizune had been forced to break up a fight between a Hyuga and an Inuzuka just a few days ago simply because the Hyuga had commented offhandedly about how _his_ clan's heir would never be missing for so long.

"Lady Tsunade, Kakashi is here for you."

A heavy sigh left the blonde woman as soon as Shizune had said this.

"... And Jiraiya?"

"He's yet to arrive."

A few seconds passed in which Tsunade regretted ever having accepted the Hokage position. Then she looked up at her most trusted friend, "Alright. Send Kakashi in. And as soon as Jiraiya appears, send him in too."

"Even if you're still with Kakashi?" Shizune questioned curiously.

"Yeah..." The woman breathed out, "I have a feeling that both of them have similar interests." A tired smile found its way onto Tsunade's face.

Shizune hesitated for a second as she looked at the blonde woman, then nodded and walked out of the room to fetch the Copy Cat Nin.

Once she was gone, Tsunade allowed her head to fall onto her arms, frowning heavily.

... Just why had she ever accepted this damned position?


	34. Meetings

"You've got to come clean about Kiba."

Tsunade looked up with a marginally surprised look on her face, not really shocked to hear what Kakashi said as he opened the door. The man hadn't even stepped into the room completely, something that could prove to be dangerous if anyone was eavesdropping outside. But Tsunade had sent her ANBU guards off, telling them to make sure that no one could listen to the conversation that would take place in her office.

"Good morning to you too, Hatake."

The man's eye narrowed at Tsunade's words, then closed the door behind him and stalked towards her desk. "The village can't go on like this, Lady Tsunade. The _Inuzuka Clan_ can't go on like this. Not anymore. They need their heir back."

The blonde woman sighed as she raised her hand to rub at her temple, "I never expected Kiba's presence to be such a cornerstone of the village's stability. In the Inuzuka Clan, I would understand. But how his missing presence has affected everyone... I never could have foretold."

Kakashi nodded tensely, "It's because of how close he grew to be to some of the most important people around the village. Asuma and Kurenai are both prominent shinobi. He was Kurenai's student. Because she was affected by his disappearance, so was Asuma. And, by domino effect, so are their fellow shinobi. And that's not even considering Kiba's friendships among the younger generations."

With a hum, Tsunade nodded, closing her eyes. "My granduncle would say this village has gotten weak throughout the years. From complacency and striving for peace, undoubtedly."

"But the First Hokage would argue that we've reached the stability of a true nation that he would have only _dreamed_ of being able to accomplish."

"They were the oddest pair of brothers to grace this land." Tsunade allowed a sad smile to graze her lips, remembering her deceased family members. "One overly optimistic, the other much too realistic. Both took their beliefs so far they became faults."

The white haired man agreed with the woman, but returned to the reason he had come to her office in the first place. "I understand that village resources are low. A recovery mission of the proportions that are very likely needed could never happen. But if you were to allow me to go-"

"Weren't you the one that had his ass handed to him _twice_ by Itachi Uchiha?"

The clear insult made Kakashi bristle.

" _Yes_." He hissed, shaking his head, "But that's beside the point. I'm sure that if you were to allow me and two more adept strategists, we would be able to take Kiba back with minimal injuries. It wouldn't a mission built upon finding and facing, but instead finding and _tricking_."

The blue eyed woman quirked an eyebrow at the man's words. "And how do you plan on doing this? Do you even know how the Akatsuki operates?" She questioned, shutting him up. "Kakashi, the most we know about this organization is that they travel in pairs and are highly dangerous. Other than that, we know they kidnapped Kiba. But we don't know for what purposes, why Kiba _specifically_ , or even the most basic of information we'd need to formulate an actual plan to even begin to consider outsmarting them."

She spoke quickly and severely, getting her point across without any hesitation. There were too many unknowns to even try the simplest of plans to recover Kiba. Especially from an organization as dangerous and mysterious as the Akatsuki.

"Well then we better find out that information." Kakashi hissed back, eye narrowing. "Because if we don't move quickly, the lies you've been feeding the village will not be accepted anymore."

They were glaring at each other. The atmosphere around was thick with tension. And just when Tsunade felt like another round of spiteful words were about to leave the younger ninja, the door to her office squeaked open and someone whistled.

"Did I come in at a bad time?"

Both Tsunade and Kakashi continued to glare at one another for a second longer before their bodies relaxed almost simultaneously. Then Tsunade turned her glare onto the newcomer, frown pulling tight at her lips.

"You were supposed to have come back a week ago."

The white haired man looked at her for a few seconds before he moved inside the room and closed the door behind him, "Spy work isn't easy. Nor does it care if you have a strict schedule to stick to. Not when it comes to people like these."

"I am aware." Tsunade shook her head, "You better have _something_ Jiraiya. If not, I swear you won't be able to-"

"What is the Inuzuka Clan's heir doing running around with the Akatsuki?"

The woman's threat cut off at the question, although she glared at him. Jiraiya looked back at her with a serious frown, eyes stern and unwavering.

"It's a muddled mess that would leave even the canniest and most perceptible of people confused." The woman conceded, "We have reason to believe that Kiba made some kind of deal with Itachi Uchiha. But what this deal entailed we are not sure."

"We are not sure what the Akatsuki want with Kiba." Kakashi said, "But we know that if we want to keep him getting taken a secret, we have to take him back fast."

Jiraiya looked at both of them with a stern frown, then demanded, "Before we go any further, I want to hear the whole story."

And so Tsunade began to explain everything that had happened starting with the day Team 8 was sent off on their mission.

* * *

The members of the Akatsuki were extremely demanding of everything Kiba did. And now that most of the members seemed to have taken an interest in him, Kiba found himself having to run around from one style of teaching to another without much time in between to relax.

Hiruko was, as always, rather hard to please when it came to his abilities puppeteering, but he barely ever gave Kiba too much strife over it. Although he didn't allow the boy to slack off with any of the skills taught. Which meant that now Kiba could properly use a practice puppet with complete grace and could use a full sized puppet with a few hiccups. He still needed both hands for just one puppet, but Hiruko was set on having him using two puppets in battle in, at most, a month.

Hidan had him knowing full paragraphs of the book of _Itami_ from his Jashinist texts collection. This was the first book of, from what Hidan told him, eight. And this one dealt with the creation of the world. Aside from that, he also had Kiba fighting near flawlessly with the scythe, a feat that he attributed to Lord Jashin gracing him for opening his heart to the god.

And because these two had Kiba on such a tight leash when it came to teaching, Kisame had decided to up the ante with his own lessons. The days of learning the art of wielding the tantō were long gone. Kisame had decided that Kiba knew enough already and had moved him on to a more advanced art of dual wields, giving him a set of daishō, a daitō and a shōtō. The daitō was a long and sleek katana, a tad bit heavy for his tastes, yet sturdy, maneuverable, and with a long reach. And the shōtō- a medium length wakizashi- was, as it was supposed to be, lightweight and easy to wield, giving speed while the other gave strength. Hours were spent perfecting his technique while an impassioned Kisame barked out directions.

These three took up most of his days. They didn't like the idea of being one upped and so insisted that Kiba had to practice for as long as possible to hone their craft.

Luckily, though, Konan and Itachi had stopped them from going overboard and trying to kill one another to have more time with Kiba.

Because it seemed like every member of the organization wanted to teach Kiba _something_ , the leader and Konan had come up with a schedule. On the days when he learned strategy through various kinds of exercises with Konan during the morning, he would go ahead and be taught by Hidan in the afternoons. Then, on the days he wasn't with Konan, his mornings would be taken by Kisame, his afternoons by Hiruko, and he was allotted an hour before he went to sleep for Hidan to give him more lessons on his religion. Even though Kiba really didn't want to learn about Lord Jashin, it was the only way to keep Hidan happy. And if Hidan was happy, then the rest of the members were not irritated.

And because apparently the leader had not liked hearing about how substandard he was with genjutsu, Itachi was given a full two hours after lunch time to help him with those skills. Kiba enjoyed those hours the most, even though he hadn't told anyone. He didn't want to see how any of the three violent and insistent men would react to finding out that _none_ of them were his favorite teacher.

Oddly enough, every day after dinner, Kakuzu would appear and take him over to his accounting office, sit him down, and give him a small load of number related work. There they would stay for an hour, working quietly without much interactions, before either Hidan or Itachi appeared to take Kiba with them.

It was an interesting routine. Especially when Kiba thought about how he was learning different kinds of skills from seven different S ranked criminals. Although he wasn't all that sure if he was learning anything from Kakuzu or the leader. But he was sure that he was learning from at least _five_ S ranked criminals.

If anyone heard him say that, they would think him insane.

Kiba wouldn't blame them, though. It sounded so unlikely he sometimes felt the urge to pinch himself to see if he wasn't in fact dreaming.

Still, even with how unbelievable it was, Kiba had grown accustomed to this new pattern of learning. And he'd actually improved in many of his skills and it was showing both physically and in his training. He felt and looked strong, much stronger than he had ever been before. And, although he relished in the idea that he would never have to fear for his life ever again, it was bittersweet. Was gaining all of this power worth the distance from his family? Had the deal been worth it in the end?

If he were power hungry, then Kiba would be sure of his answer. But seeing how all he did now was miss his family and learn, he wasn't sure.

Today had started off with Konan testing out his knowledge of shinobi class and laws. He wasn't sure how he had done. He was never sure with her and the leader. After that, he had enjoyed a simple two hours with Itachi of perfecting a simple genjutsu, the only one he seemed to be able to create with complete accuracy. A cave. For some reason, Itachi could believe the images he created when it was a cave. They didn't understand why just yet, though. And so they worked together to try and piece the reasons why.

He had enjoyed being with Itachi. The man's presence was soothing and reassuring. It was a reminder as to why it was that Kiba was under these circumstances in the first place. And it was a breath of fresh air in days that were filled with endless training and thinking. Itachi didn't make him bend over backwards to understand things. The boy didn't feel himself tested under extreme duress like he did with the others. Instead, he felt like he could never be wrong when around the dark haired man. And for this he was thankful.

After Hidan had drilled a brand new set of lessons on both his favored weapon and book of Jashinism, and after he had finished working with Kakuzu, Kiba was afforded one hour to bathe and relax before he was to go to sleep. And he was using it now, after bathing and getting dressed, to read over some scrolls on puppeteering that Hiruko had given him to study.

He was curled up on one of the couches in the large living room, the very one he had woken on the first he had found himself in the base. There were two opened scrolls to his left for he had already finished with them, and he was on his third scroll. To his right rested a still unopened last one. The first two scrolls had spoken of proper chakra and mental control to be able to use more than one puppet. The one he was currently on detailed a few simple modifications any beginner could make to their puppets. And the last scroll had information on poisons that could be added to hidden weapons to make them even more deadly.

It was all rather fascinating, if Kiba could tell the truth. And it was kind of a shame puppeteering wasn't any bigger. If it were, then maybe he would have more scrolls to read than just much too basic or overly complicated ones. Maybe if it were an art that was more accepted, then there would be a medium between both these sometimes annoying opposites.

"It is recommended that at least four blades are hidden within the body of the puppet." The boy mumbled as he chewed on the tip of his thumb, eyes focused on the script before him. "Normally close ranged fighters are not aware of a puppeteers bag of tricks and get too close. Use this to your advantage."

"So he actually _has_ taken you under his wing."

The man's scent had not gone unperceived by the Inuzuka. But Kiba had thought that the man would merely ignore him.

Apparently, he had been wrong.

Looking up from the scroll, Kiba found the blonde man named Deidara standing at the doorway that led into the room, arms crossed over his chest and an unreadable expression on his face. His cloak was somewhat disheveled, and his hair was loose, but aside from that, he looked just about the same way he had when Kiba had first met him.

"Uh... Yeah." Kiba was confused to have Deidara talking to him, but still answered.

The man looked at him for a second longer before walking towards him, although he stopped when he was a few feet away from him. Once there, he moved his arms so his hands rested on his hips.

"And Hidan, Kisame, and Itachi are all teaching you something different? It's not only the puppet bastard?"

Kiba nodded without a word, internally wondering why the blonde man was suddenly so intrigued in him. Especially after not having shown his face around the base for quite some time.

A scoff escaped the blonde at Kiba's reaction, then he shook his head, "Get sent off on a dumb mission with that masked idiot and suddenly everything changes..." His mumble was odd, but allowed for Kiba to understand why he had not been seen around for some time. He had been on a mission. Although... He hadn't known there were any masked members in the organization aside from Kakuzu.

"Alright. You're learning a dead and useless art." The man clapped his hands suddenly, a glint appearing in his visible eye. "And you look like the kind that is more interested in the beautiful flash of wonder that are explosions!"

His voice was upbeat and cheery, but Kiba was wary.

This had been the only person that had shown actual disdain for him and Itachi when Kiba had first gotten to the base. And Itachi had explicitly told Kiba to _stay away_ from him.

Then again, Itachi had also told him to stay away from Hidan... And that had wound up with him learning about Lord Jashin, proper religious rituals, and how to wield a deadly weapon...

"You hated me."

The man scoffed once more, this time with a roll of his eye. "I hate _Itachi_. Not you. The bastard and I have a past that I can't forget." But his sassy attitude toned down as his eye seemingly softened. "I'm not an idiot. You have about half of the Akatsuki somehow ensnared by you. And if you really are going to be learning from a group of criminals, you might as well learn things you'll actually use in your life. Like a proper form of art. The kind that allows you to blow shit up."

Kiba looked at him with scrutiny. The man seemed to be sincere. But the boy wasn't sure how to proceed.

His schedule was already packed enough. He didn't need to add explosives lessons to an already busy day.

"What's with the sudden change of heart?" Kiba questioned, eyes narrowed.

"What's with the sudden lack of fear?" The man bit back, "You weren't this lippy when we met. You didn't even _talk_."

Internally, Kiba agreed with what he said. He had changed a lot in a very small amount of time and still wasn't sure if it was for the better or worse. But externally he merely shrugged, "I've been forced to interact a lot with Hidan."

"Oh, you poor soul."

This had Kiba chuckling softly. He was surprised that conversation with Deidara was so easy.

"By his definition, I'm a _saved soul._ "

Deidara cracked a smile of his own at this, "He's got you listening to his Jashinist sermons, huh? Come on, kid, you can't tell me you don't want to detonate a few bombs just to relieve stress after having to listen to him."

Kiba looked at Deidara, his distrust slowly fading into curiosity. He was somewhat curious as to what the man could possibly teach him about bombs. But he also wondered just why he was being so nice to him. It couldn't possibly be because he had so many different member of the Akatsuki teaching him... Right?

* * *

Shikaku Nara had heard of Kiba's mission and not thought much of it in the beginning. But when the bubbly Inuzuka had failed to come back after a whole month of working outside of the village, the man became intrigued. He didn't invest too much time in thinking about the reasons as to why Kiba wasn't around anymore, but he knew there was something off about the Hokage's words. But seeing how he was busy and the Hokage seemed to have everything under control, the man decided to not worry too much about it.

Well, that had been his plan of inaction up until the point in which two legendary Sannin showed up in his office, along with the famed Copy Cat Nin, to ask him to join a mission of recovering the boy.

"This is to remain between us, Shikaku." The Hokage warned, then nodded at her fellow Sannin.

Jiraiya nodded as well then went through a flurry of hand motions and closed his eyes. A few seconds passed and Shikaku immediately knew what it was that the man was doing.

"What could be so classified that there is a need to form a barrier around my office?" He questioned, sitting up in his chair with interest.

It wasn't every day something like this happened, after all. And even though Shikaku wasn't the kind of man to be too curious, he was sure it was only natural to be somewhat drawn to wanting to understand why three extremely important and powerful people had wound up in his office. Especially after they created a barrier to speak privately.

"Kiba Inuzuka." Tsunade said, eyes stern and gaze severe. "What was told to the rest of the village isn't the truth. It was a needed lie." Then, without stopping or hesitating, the woman threw herself into a lengthy explanation as to everything that had happened with Kiba Inuzuka.

The more he listened, the more worried Shikaku became. He had known there was something off about what was being told to the village. But he never would have imagined that it could be as serious as it proved to truly be.

"You kept this from being released to stop the Inuzuka Clan from running off and hunting down this... Akatsuki, was it?" The man grabbed his chin in thought as he looked at Tsunade, who nodded. "And to stop the village from panicking over a new criminal organization we know almost nothing about."

His mind was racing with the new information he had just been told. And Jiraiya had yet to speak about the Akatsuki itself.

"We're planning a mission to retrieve him." Kakashi cut in, looking at Shikaku sternly. "It can't be a big mission so as to not call any attention to us. And because Jiraiya is always out of the village, we don't have much to worry when it comes to him leaving yet again. But to deal with an enemy as elusive as this, we need the sharpest minds we are able to muster."

"Thank you for the praise." Shikaku smirked slightly, but frowned after. "Jiraiya, if you would, please tell me all you can of this organization."

The situation was dire. Tsunade wasn't ignorant to the tension running amok in Konoha. And, from what he understood, the best way to defuse some of that tension- at least with the Inuzuka Clan- was to bring back the heir.

And here he had thought today would have been a normal day.

* * *

"Here. Push some chakra into this."

Kiba looked up at Kakuzu with blatant questioning.

It was rather interesting, how much his relationships with the different members of the Akatsuki had evolved. He used to be terrified of most of them. But the only member he was still truly wary of was the leader. Kakuzu was still somewhat scary... But when you paired how tired Kiba was with how annoyed he had been leftafter Hidan had tried to destroy his puppet because he didn't want the Inuzuka to become a puppet fucker... Well, the boy didn't really have much incentive to continue being scared anymore. Although he was rather irritated because of the Jashinist.

"Why?"

"Because I told you to do it." Kakuzu grumbled back, eyes narrowed at Kiba's tone.

Kiba glanced from the man's face over to the paper in his hands, then snatched it with a grumble.

He had ended up taking Deidara's offer to learn how to blow stuff up. He'd only taken one class until now, and it had been this morning before he ate lunch. And, quite frankly, it had been fun to learn how to set different charges of explosive tags and blow things up with them afterwards. And before that he had managed to actually stump Konan for a few minutes in shōgi, which had made him have a good day. But then Hidan had happened and Kiba's good day had kind of been ruined. Itachi had tried to lift his spirits, but not even his subtle jokes were enough.

Now he was in Kakuzu's office after a quiet dinner with Itachi and Kisame, and the man was asking him to push chakra into a piece of paper.

With a deep breath to stop himself from biting back in irritation at the orders, Kiba looked at the small piece of paper and pushed some chakra into it.

He hadn't expected anything to happen, in all honesty.

But then the paper turned to _dirt_ before his eyes and crumbled out of his hands, falling onto the floor below.

With wide eyes, Kiba looked up at Kakuzu for an explanation.

"Hmm." The man nodded for a moment, "You have a chakra affinity for Earth. That is fitting."

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked, then the man hauled him up from his chair and forced him out of the room.

"It's about time you learned some practical ninjutsu." The man grunted simply, pushing him in the direction of the training room.

* * *

"Hey... Is that Akamaru?"

Hana hadn't been paying much attention to either Genma or Iruka as they helped her create a meal for the three of them in her home. But when Genma uttered that name, the woman's ears perked up and she ran to his side, only to look out the window he had been looking out.

Shino Aburame was the first figure she made out. The teen's distinct clunky cloak was kind of hard to miss, along with the ever-present sunglasses.

Then she made out Naruto's figure, the annoying orange jumpsuit he wore much too flashy to ever truly be missed. He was smiling broadly, as if he had just finished telling a joke, although Shino showed no signs of amusement.

And, finally, the last figure she noticed made Hana smile so broadly her cheeks hurt. Hinata looked as shy as ever and her cheeks were bright red, but, in her hands, hugged tightly to the young girl was the reason why Hana became so gladdened.

"Akamaru!"

She ran out of her home without a second thought. Faintly, she noted Genma shouting out at being barreled over and Iruka telling her to be careful, but the young woman didn't care. She moved faster than she had in a long time. And in a matter of seconds, she was before the group of three genin, hugging Hinata and Akamaru tightly to herself.

"Ah!" Hinata shouted out in surprise, even though Akamaru yipped in pure ecstasy, immediately moving to lick at Hana's face.

"You brought him back! Thank you so much! Thank you! Thank you!"

Hana squeezed Hinata tightly and lifted her up, twirling her around before setting her down and taking Akamaru from her hands. Akamaru barked excitedly, immediately beginning to ask about Kuromaru, the Haimaru brothers, the other members of their small pack, and the clan.

"We're all good, Akamaru." She told him, tears beginning to sting at her eyes. "And believe me when I say they will all be happy to see you again."

Holding Akamaru, having them there to touch... It was the best and worst kind of feeling. Holding him meant holding a piece of her brother. But it was also a reminder of her missing brother... And it felt so bittersweet that Hana wasn't sure if she was about to cry from happiness or sadness.

Looking up at the three teenagers, Hana smiled earnestly. "I don't know how you did it, but... _Thank you_."

Her words were honest and heartfelt. And they had Hinata's face reddening like a tomato while Naruto smiled back at Hana with an equally earnest smile. But it was Shino that answered.

"It was nothing." He said simply, but Hana knew that the boy understood just what this meant to her. If he hadn't, he would never have brought Akamaru back himself. He would have just sent Naruto or Hinata to deliver him. But these kids understood that Akamaru was family because they had all made sure he came back home safely.

She wanted to hug them all right then and there. They _cared_. They had brought Akamaru back. And, from what she could see, he had no injuries whatsoever.

They had been gone on a month long mission and the first thing they had done was bring Akamaru home... Kiba had made amazing friends.

"'Sup, brats?"

Hana didn't have to turn around to see Iruka and Genma walking up to them because she knew them too much. And in a few seconds, they ended up flanking her, standing to either of her side.

"Genma Shiranui." Shino greeted respectfully, "Iruka Sensei."

"Hello Shino." The teacher's voice was warm and Hana couldn't help but squeeze Akamaru one last time before moving him so he rested on her shoulder. "Naruto. Hinata. Thank you for bringing Akamaru back."

Genma clicked his senbon against his teeth, then said, "You know, seems like the least we can do for you is offer you a meal. You didn't have to bring him the very second you got back to the village."

"We wanted this to be the first thing we did." Naruto answered, features sobering, "We know Akamaru is family. And he'd been missing for so long, we guessed you'd like to have him back as fast as possible."

"But you do not have to give us any food." Shino continued, "We still have to go hand in our mission report."

That was when Hana heard a rather loud stomach rumble. And by the way Hinata squeaked and covered her face, she guessed it was the girl's stomach that had made it.

"Come on, kids. We'll break the rules this one time. You've been gone for a long time and brought back a very important member of my family." Hana told them, moving so she stood behind them and could begin to push them towards her house. "The meal's on us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is drawing close to its end! I believe a few more chapters and the long awaited conclusion for this story will finally be published. I hope you really enjoyed this chapter and bare with me for the following chapters so we can finally finish this amazingly beautiful ride!


	35. Assurance, Part 1

Itachi enjoyed spending his time with Kiba.

The boy was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale atmosphere. And having two hours with him to practice on his genjutsu proved to be beneficial for both Itachi's mood and Kiba's technique.

Although the boy could only recreate one believable scenario, it was still something more than before.

"Alright, Kiba. Are you ready for the cave?"

They had been working on other kinds of illusions for the first hour and a half of their time together. But, even though the colors, textures, and overall visuals of the settings were correct, there was something that made them actually being illusions much too obvious.

"Yeah..."

The boy's mind wasn't focused as he nodded softly.

The Uchiha had been able to see that the Inuzuka's mind was occupied with other, seemingly more pressing thoughts, from the second he had stepped into their now shared room. But he had kept his observation to himself in hopes that Kiba would be able to shake himself out of whatever stupor he had landed in and push through.

When the boy closed his eyes, Itachi waited for the encroaching change of surroundings he would undoubtedly receive. Then, slowly and almost unperceptively, he found the slick and fresh smelling walls of a clean cave begin to surround him. Even though he knew that this choice of surroundings would be easily caught by any shinobi worth their salt, he was still surprised by how real this felt compared to the others Kiba tried.

But something was off today. There was something _different_... That was it!

The man didn't even have to mutter the word 'release' to break the genjutsu. He usually uttered it when Kiba's illusions weren't up to par, just to soften the blow that would undoubtedly hit the boy's pride when he noticed he'd failed again. But this time around, he didn't take Kiba's feelings into account. He had finally figured out the reason why the rest of the boy's illusions were easy to see through.

"You are not concentrated." He chastised, making Kiba frown softly. But he didn't allow the boy to say anything. "But, because of that lack of concentration, I have figured out why it is that only one of your illusions feels real enough to fool someone."

That caught the boy's attention and dashed the deep frown that threatened to overtake his face.

"I cannot believe I didn't think of this before. Kiba, you are an Inuzuka." He could tell that Kiba most probably wanted to retort with something cheeky at the obvious observation- an unfortunate side effect of hanging around Hidan and Kisame for prolonged periods of time. "The sense you follow the most is not sight. Instead, you rely on scent and hearing. _That's_ the reason why the cave feels the most realistic. Because you focus on the smells and sounds of the surroundings _before_ you focus on the image itself."

The boy didn't react at first. Then his eyes widened almost comically and his lips opened just slightly, looking extremely adorable because of the pure and earnest surprise on his face.

"Because you follow these senses, you're somehow able to make the receiver of the genjutsu follow them with the cave illusion." The man continued, a small smile finding its way onto his lips. "And because it's a subtle and gradual change that doesn't rip control away from the sense of sight immediately, it feels completely natural."

It had taken them quite some time to figure out. But now Itachi understood the reason why this one illusion convinced Itachi into being almost real.

Still, it brought up the question, why the _cave_?

"Try focusing on the senses of hearing and scent first in a forest scene. Let's see if it works out."

The boy nodded immediately and closed his eyes in concentration, apparently eager to see if Itachi's hypothesis was correct. And while Itachi felt his senses begin to be tampered with and a forest begin to overtake him, he couldn't help the small smirk that found its way onto his face.

He had figured it out. Once these illusions were perfected, they'd be able to move onto more complex techniques.

When the Inuzuka allowed the illusion to drop, Itachi felt his heart swell at the large smile sent in his direction. He was happy they had been able to get over this large obstacle.

But he was worried. The boy's mind hadn't been completely invested in their exercises. And although it had resulted in a happy mistake that had helped them get over their largest problem in Kiba's genjutsu technique, it made Itachi wonder _why_ Kiba had been off.

He didn't like the idea of the boy's mind being occupied with other things. Especially if they had to do with his current situation. Especially if they took away his happiness.

In the back of his mind, Itachi doubted that whatever occupied the boy's thoughts wasn't Akamaru. He hadn't seen the pup around in a long time. And from the way Kiba avoided talking about him, the Uchiha knew that they had some kind of falling out.

"Good job."

The broad smile Kiba tried to give Itachi didn't reach his eyes.

* * *

"I was never considered smart back in the Academy." Kiba commented offhandedly with a somewhat bitter smile, although he kept his gaze on fixing up the joints of the puppet Hiruko had gifted him.

It reminded Kiba a lot of Kankuro's own. Was it Crow? He couldn't remember the name properly. But the shape and silhouette casted by the puppet reminded Kiba a lot of the puppet that had helped save his and Akamaru's life.

The puppet was the same dull brown color that Kiba remembered Kankuro's puppets being. And it also had a wild mane of hair on the top of its head that covered half of its face, a shade similar to Kiba's own. It was humanoid in shape, as well, and had a dark cloak covering most of its body, reminiscent of the one worn by the members of the organization. But, much to Kiba's surprise, Hiruko had added in a large hood to cover its head, and it was lined with fur.

With the hood up and the cloak down, it seemed like a rather mysterious human being.

But if one were to look at the half of the face that wasn't blocked by its hair, they would find a face that was most definitely not human. The puppet's eyes were not the round shape Kiba had remembered seeing on Kankuro's most human looking one. They were a more elongated, almond-like shape, and didn't try to simulate a human's own. Instead they were pitch black, a dark green orb with a black, fang shaped line running down its middle housed inside. Hiruko had explained that he had taken the liberty of adding those two balls into the puppet's face as extra protection. If triggered correctly, they would let loose a stream of toxic gas that would temporarily blind his opponents by irritating their eyes.

Its mouth had two lines running down to its chin from the corner of its 'lips'. At the same time, another set of lines ran from the same spot to either side of its face, towards where ears would normally be found on a human. These lines were openings that, if Kiba wished, could force the lower half of the puppet's face open and reveal either a nozzle for smog or a poison tipped blade.

The design of the puppet both amused and saddened Kiba. He didn't know if Hiruko had added the fur hood simply because of an artist's perspective of aesthetic and functionality or for a deeper reason... But it looked a lot like the kind of hood he had once worn around his head to make himself look more feral.

Kiba doubted the man had done it knowing the style Kiba had once used. There was no way he had known of how Kiba once dressed. They'd never met before and, from what he had gathered, Hiruko had not gone to Konoha in the time Kiba had used that hood.

"What do you mean?" Hiruko questioned from his spot working on a new strain of poisons, all the while Itachi looked up at Kiba with a quirked eyebrow.

They were all currently in Hiruko's workshop. Even though Itachi didn't usually impose himself on Hiruko, he had decided to accompany Kiba's lessons on this particular day. And while Kiba didn't mind being asked every now and then by the man what he was doing, he was somewhat confused as to why he had wanted to join him on _this_ day.

Had it been because of his clear hiccups during their own time together?

The boy stopped greasing up the puppet's left elbow joint to look at the man, shrugging slightly. "I didn't get the best grades and usually skipped out on all the 'important' lessons." Then he looked at Itachi, "Even though people had some hope for me in taijutsu and ninjutsu, they didn't have much hope in the brain department for me."

Both men remained silent for a moment, allowing Kiba to go back to work on his puppet in silence, before Itachi questioned, "What brought this on?"

Another shrug left the boy as he stopped working once more to look up at Itachi. "I guess I've just been thinking a lot about the past few days and what I've learned. I've learned about three different fighting styles at about the same time without too much difficulty. And I must be getting somewhat better at strategizing if I've been able to stump Konan at least twice in our matches." Then he looked down at his puppet once more, a frown beginning to pull at his lips. "None of the people that knew me before would ever believe me capable of being able to do any of that..."

He loved his family, friends, and village. It had been his love for them that had ended up with him making the deal with Itachi. But they had all believed him a reckless fool. And, thinking back on it, he couldn't blame them. Even though he had shown a few spurts of actual intelligence with his teammates, he hadn't given others much reason to believe him more than an idiot without a care in the world. And it was scary to think that if he had never been captured by those monsters, he would still have been a reckless idiot without any care in the world...

"I mean, it's almost unnatural how easily I've learned everything. Don't you think?" He continued after both men failed to speak up. "I mean, it takes an average shinobi quite some time to master _one_ style of fighting. And even the prodigies take some time too... But I'm no prodigy. I'm not all that smart, either. I've never been one for actually learning... At least not easily."

He'd never done good in class. He was always much too happy racing against Naruto with Shikamaru and Chouji at their heels to care about learning something he could most probably just skirt through. The idea of actually learning in class had never struck him in his younger days. And he kind of regretted not having been more judicious.

Could he have passed the Chunin Exams if he had tried harder in the Academy? Could he have not fallen into the deranged grasp of those monsters if he had just paid more attention in class?

"Blame not the student for the shortcomings of the teacher."

Hiruko's voice rumbled deeply, honestly. And when Kiba looked at Itachi, he found that the dark haired male was agreeing with the puppeteer.

"Was this the reason for you not putting all your efforts into our practice?" The long haired male questioned, "Because you were questioning your own worth?"

Once more Kiba shrugged, looking down at his puppet once more.

He had woken up feeling just a bit under the weather today. And he wasn't sure why. He was fine. His body was healed, he was well fed, and even though he was somewhat sore from all the different kinds of training he was subjected to, he felt fine physically.

But, if he was fine, then why did he not feel like waking up at all this morning? Why did his thoughts continue drifting back to the village he had willingly left behind to aid his friends? Why did Hana's crying face push its way into the front of his mind?

Sighing, Kiba focused on the blade the puppet had hidden inside the joint that attached the left arm to the hand. They were sharp and deadly.

He had yet to name this puppet. Hiruko had told him that it had been created specifically for Kiba and so the only person that should name it was him. But the boy didn't know what to call it. Was there supposed to be some kind of pattern to follow when it came to puppets? He only remembered Crow and Black Ant. Did that mean that puppets took on names of animals they resembled? But Hiruko's own armor was called Hiruko. And Kiba had never really heard a name like that before.

"Put your puppet back together."

A shadow fell over Kiba and blocked the light he had been using to make sure the puppet was in working order. And when he looked up, he found Hiruko standing over him, all the while Itachi got up from his spot by the corner of the room.

"What?" The boy questioned, "Why?"

Itachi looked at Hiruko as he too waited for an answer. But the puppeteer merely grunted, "Put it back together and meet me in the training room. Itachi, go find Kisame and Hidan. Tell them to go there as well."

With these orders, the man walked out of his workshop. He didn't say anything else. And Kiba had no idea what he could possibly be planning.

* * *

When Itachi came to find him and Hidan, Kisame was somewhat confused. The Uchiha hadn't given any explanation other than "Come to the training grounds." before he had left. And Hidan had questioned the reason as to why they were to go there, but the man had left the kitchen before saying anything else.

"The fuck could he want?" Hidan had asked, all the while Kakuzu rolled his eyes and stood up from his seat.

Kisame followed after Kakuzu, not bothering to try and tell Hidan anything.

He knew his partner well enough to understand when there was no need for questions. And this was one of those times. Kisame was sure their questions would be answered when they got to the training grounds.

And when he stepped into the room to find Kiba standing in the middle of the large fighting grounds with his daishō strapped onto his back, a puppet to his left and a scythe grasped in his right, Kisame grew worried. Then when he found Hiruko standing a few feet away from him with the leader, Konan, and Deidara, Kisame knew what was set to happen.

"Hell no." He growled immediately, glaring at the leader. "I'm not going to be fighting Kiba for your amusement."

"Fighting?" Hidan perked up behind him, but Kakuzu merely grunted while he crossed his arms.

"You're not the one going to be fighting, Kisame." Hiruko rumbled in what seemed to be disinterest, "You, along with Hidan, Itachi, and myself, will be judging."

This caught Kisame by surprise.

"Judging?"

Now the leader stepped forward with a slight nod. "It has come to my attention that it is about time we tested out Kiba's progress. He has been with us for a while now, learning different kinds of fighting styles and strategy. And if we do not check to make sure if he really has learned, then all of our hardwork would have been for, essentially, nothing."

Once he had finished speaking, Kisame chanced a look at Kiba. And the young boy had a deep frown covering his face, while his wild hair shadowed his eyes. In Kisame's eyes, he looked like a prisoner resigned to his fate of condemnation.

"If not those that have taught him," Kakuzu spoke up after a few seconds of silence, "Then who will the kid fight?"

"The leader, Deidara, and I." Konan answered, face as calm as ever.

And this infuriated Kisame to no end. Was she truly so cruel that she felt nothing even when she was supposed to fight a _kid_?

"Hey, Bitch Tits, I'm putting my foot down here!" Hidan shouted with a hiss as he stepped forward to glare at the three that were supposed to fight Kiba, "Ain't none of you going to fight _my_ sidekick!"

"Kiba's skills have to be tested." The woman didn't react at all to Hidan's shouting, always maintaining her cool. "And if you were to fight him, it would be rather unfair. Kiba has already grown used to your styles and knows what to expect. It would not be a fair chance for him to show his skills."

"But if he were to fight against opponents he's never fought before, then we would get an accurate gauge of just how far he's come." The leader finished for the woman, which made Kisame sneer.

Why wasn't Itachi speaking up at all? Why did he just stand there without any emotions running across his face?!

"Oy, Bitch face!" Hidan growled at Deidara, "You're fine with fighting him?"

The blonde man shrugged slightly, "From what I've been told, he should be fine against us. And it's not like we're going to go all out. Just difficult enough to give him a run for his money."

"Then it is settled." The leader spoke up with a tone of finality, even though Kisame didn't feel like any of this was right. "Kiba will face off against Deidara, Konan, and myself. The rest will watch the battle, gauging how far Kiba truly has come. Kiba, the rules for victory are by either knockout or going out of bounds." The red head squared his shoulders and glared at those around him, "Have I been understood?"

"This ain't right." Hidan hissed, Kisame silently agreeing with him. "If he gets hurt, you will all have hell to pay!"

~/~

Deidara was the first one to fight Kiba. The blonde man wasn't smirking wildly like what Itachi would have expected. And this allowed the Uchiha to know that the blonde was going to take this seriously.

Immediately after Hiruko signalled for the beginning of the match, nothing happened. Kiba's body didn't move a single inch as he looked at Deidara, all the while blonde man gauged the boy as well.

He was worried. Kiba versus three members of the Akatsuki? And not only three, but the leader himself?

From an objective point of view, it was only obvious to have them fight the boy. Kisame, Hidan, Hiruko, and himself were all his teachers. And he had seen them in battle before as well, which meant he would have some knowledge as to what could be the smartest courses of action to take. And Kakuzu had most probably not even been considered to fight because of his dangerous history of killing his partners before Hidan had made his way to them.

But Kiba needed to see how far he had come. The boy needed to affirm his own skills.

Itachi was no fool. He knew that if he and the rest continued to tell him, the boy would not believe he had improved exponentially. No, they would have to force the boy to see for himself. That would be when he would truly see it.

With an unreadable expression on his face, Itachi watched the battlefield.

A few more seconds passed in which neither male moved.

Then, without a single indicator of getting prepared beforehand, Kiba moved.

The boy rushed right at Deidara, falling into the customary four legged fighting style his clan was renowned for. The blonde reacted almost as fast, immediately beginning to dodge as many attacks as he could. But anyone could tell that the man had not been prepared for such a unique style and received a few scratches from the boy as he moved away.

One specific attack ripped the blonde's cloak straight down the middle.

The Uchiha quirked an eyebrow at the odd choice of offense Kiba had chosen. He could understand the four legged stance, it was only expected from an Inuzuka placed in a stressful situation. But why wasn't he landing any punches or kicks? Why was he merely scratching?

The answer to his question came only a few seconds after the boy had torn the cloak open.

He didn't know when exactly the boy had grabbed the explosive tag. And from the shocked expression the rest of the members of wore, he had moved much too fast for all of them as well.

But what he _did_ know was that one second Deidara was sneering in annoyance at having to move away from Kiba to not get scratched, and the next he was flailing to take off his cloak before Kiba detonated the explosion.

"What the hell?!" The blonde shouted as he threw the cloak away, only for it to blow up and form a medium sized explosion that clouded the blonde from sight.

Then, suddenly, another shout rang out. "Fang over Fang!" Kiba became a tunnel of vicious winds that plowed into where Deidara had just been standing, impacting against the blonde to send him flying into the wall on the other side of the room.

The smoke dissipated quickly after that and revealed a panting Kiba glaring in the direction Deidara had been thrown to.

For a moment, everyone was silent. Itachi was, admittedly, much too surprised by what he had just witnessed to even think of a single thing to say.

Kiba had just defeated Deidara without ever allowing the blonde to even muster a single attack.

"Did... Did that really just happen?"

"It just did..." Kisame muttered in stupefaction, answering Hidan's own shocked question.

"Kiba is victorious." The leader called out, "Konan."

"Yes, leader."

And forward stepped Konan, who gave a small smile to Kiba before they began their fight.

"Remember all you have learned, Kiba."

The boy's chest was still rising and falling faster than it would have if he had been breathing normally. But instead of ask for any kind of breather, the Inuzuka merely nodded and fell into a fighting stance once more.

~/~

His sidekick could move!

He had known that Kiba was a fast little shit. There'd been no doubt in his mind that Lord Jashin had gifted him with a competent sidekick after having had his fun giving him a shitty partner like Kakuzu.

But, in all honesty, Hidan had not expected boy to be _so_ fast!

A large and boastful smirk slithered its way onto the Jashinist's lips as he looked at Deidara, who was getting up with wide eyes and a stupefied look on his face. He looked pretty fucking stupid, in Hidan's eyes. But the bastard deserved it for underestimating _his_ sidekick. How could anyone possibly know that Kiba was under his awesome tutelage and not treat him like the threat he was? Served the bitch right to get slammed into the wall.

Turning back to the fight that was seconds away from commencing, Hidan couldn't help the scoff that escaped him. The bitch Konan had nothing on his kid. Not when Lord Jashin was on the Inuzuka's side and inside his heart.

The first thing the papered bitch did was raise her hand up head level. And even though Hidan wanted to tell her she was being a dramatic little fuck for no reason, he kept his mouth shut. He wanted to see how Kiba would react to foes he'd never faced off against before.

Papers began to fly over to Konan's hand, swirling around over it in a disc-like shape. And once it had grown to the size she deemed fit, the woman threw it at Kiba, who immediately dodged it by jumping to the side. Then, on her other hand, another disc took shape. And with her first hand the woman directed the first disc to come back to hit Kiba in the back, all the while she threw the second one at the boy.

Kiba dodged to the left to avoid the first disc's comeback, then rolled once more to avoid the second one. And the two fell into a kind of dance in this manner, with Konan directing her flying paper and Kiba dodging said paper. But he only dodged to the left. Never to the other side.

And right when Hidan was going to ask what the fuck the kid was doing by not attacking, he noticed where it was that Kiba was trying to get to.

During the fight with Deidara, the kid had dropped the scythe and the dumbass puppet to the far side of the arena. Now he was heading their way all the while making sure that Konan didn't nick him with the discs of paper.

It was interesting to see the boy make his way to them. Especially because Hidan wondered which weapon he would choose: the obviously amazing and useful one or the piece of shit Hiruko insisted on making him learn to use.

When they boy finally managed to get to the weapons, he grabbed the scythe, making Hidan almost rejoice in pride. Then he brandished it with complete confidence, swirling it around him to fight off the paper discs that circled around him. And Konan, seeing that Kiba now had a means to protect himself, tightened the circles the discs were making, bringing them even closer to the boy to try and harm him.

But the boy managed to use the blade of his scythe to cut straight through those killer discs, making them break apart into the individual pieces of paper they were composed of.

"He's got Lord Jashin's favored weapon now, bitch!" Hidan yelled in a pure gloat, proud of his student. "You're going to have to try better than that!"

He knew how well Kiba could be. He had trained the kid himself! And he knew that Konan taking it easy on him would end up with a rather boring fight. So the bitch would need to get her shit together and try harder, or else the kid would wipe the floor with her sorry ass.

The purple haired bitch didn't spare a single look in his direction. Instead she ran forward and jumped up, sending a flurry of kicks towards Kiba. And the boy blocked and dodged away from the kicks, also staying clear from the random pieces of paper that happened to move in his direction.

He was using the scythe defensively rather than offensively. And Hidan felt his heart swell with pride at the sight of his student being able to stand his ground against Konan. He may have hated her, but he was no fool. She was one of the strongest and most skillful warriors he had ever come across. And if the boy had made her go into an active offensive and was still able to defend himself without breaking a sweat, then all of the violent lessons drilled into him by his awesome teacher had been worth it.

Still, Hidan knew just how tough the little shit could be. And he had no doubt that he'd kick the origami loving bitch's ass.

* * *

"Are you sure this is right?"

"Not at all."

"Then why are we doing this?"

"Did you see Hana when she hugged Akamaru? She _smiled_. She was _happy_. You hear Iruka Sensei, Naruto. She hasn't smiled since Kiba left on his mission."

"Still... I don't like lying, Shino. It doesn't feel right. Makes me feel dirty. Right, Hinata?"

"Uh... I... I agree with Sh-Shino kun, Naruto k-kun."

"Eh?"

Naruto blinked at Hinata with complete surprise, blue eyes wide as the meek girl looked away from him.

"I mean..." The girl's face lit up bright red, although she looked down at the floor. "W-we are doing the r-right thing, Naruto kun. La-Lady Ts-Tsunade kept the truth hid-den for a reason... And if it keeps Kiba kun and his cl-clan s-s-safe..."

Shino nodded as Hinata's words drifted off, then he looked at their surroundings.

They had eaten with Genma, Iruka, and Hana and it had been delicious. The young woman had smiled broadly and thanked them profusely, all the while the rest of the Inuzuka dogs jumped on them in their own manner of gratitude.

It had been hard to look at Hana and tell her that they knew nothing of Kiba's location. Especially because it hadn't been her who had asked them. It had been Genma. She hadn't wanted to know anything they might know. And it was most probably out of fear of hearing something that was worse than her brother just being missing.

Now they were in Training Ground 0, the one farthest from the village and from any prying eyes. They were getting their stories together before they met with the Hokage, who would undoubtedly have already caught word of Akamaru having returned with them.

"Kiba is caught in a perilous situation with no assigned back up. _We_ will do our best to be his back up from our position here. And when we have the chance, we will go and get him out." Shino told the other genin with a stern voice, "If we are not careful, we run the risk of him being condemned as a Missing Nin. Or _worse_."

He knew Naruto didn't agree with what they were doing. The boy believed too strongly in the Hokage's judgement and reasoning behind her actions. But Shino didn't trust her and knew that the best course of action at the moment was to bide their time.

And the next moment they were able to receive a month long mission, they would take it. And that is when they would actively seek Kiba out.

It annoyed him to no end to not be able to save Kiba just yet.

But the Aburame were a patient clan. And Shino knew that their chances of success were higher if they waited rather than if they acted immediately.

They would just have to be patient. Then things would work out. He was sure of it.


	36. Assurance, Part 2

His student was proving to be just as skilled and intelligent as he had always known.

Oh, Hidan might say that it was his teaching skills that had brought out the best in the Inuzuka. But Sasori knew the truth. And the boy had improved so much and become so great not because of the Jashinist's fanatical sermons. No, it had been because of him and the unimaginably healing art that had been puppeteering. It had been because of puppets that Kiba had been able to put his life back together.

It had become an unspoken agreement amongst the Akatsuki: Know, but don't tell.

The fact that Kiba had been raped was known by every single member. Hell, it would have been apparent to anyone that had interacted with him for at least an hour. Even though the kid tried to seem strong and brave, there were cracks in his façade. Especially whenever around strong men that weren't afraid to speak their mind. So, essentially, around most of the Akatsuki.

Even though it irritated him, there were only two people Kiba showed no clear signs of trauma around. And it wasn't with him. No, it was with Konan; the only female member of the Akatsuki; and Itachi, the man that had, apparently, had the idea to bring him into the Akatsuki in the first place.

Kiba didn't like being caught in a room with more than one hostile man. And if he was caught in a place with more than two men, trusted or not, he would stick close to the exits and try to be as agreeable and likeable as possible. But if Konan was around, he dared be a bit more bold, even if it wasn't by much.

One would have to be deaf, blind, _and_ dumb to not be able to piece together what may have happened to him. Even though none of them knew what had _precisely_ happened to the boy, they could be certain of a few traumatizing factors.

It had been rape. The boy had been violated in one of the worst and most demeaning of ways that one could possibly use to break down a human. And it had been a group of threatening, undoubtedly strong looking men had been the ones to rape him. From the way Kiba shied away from Hidan especially, even after weeks of growing accustomed to his oddities, Hiruko had hypothesized that maybe one of the men to do the most damage had shared some physical attribute of the Jashinist's.

"Go on the offensive, idiot! She's not going to do anything worse until _you push her!_ "

Sasori still couldn't understand just why Hidan had taken so well to the boy. Why he insisted on being his teacher. It didn't make any sense in his eyes. Kiba Inuzuka had been terrified of Hidan in the beginning and showed it clearly. Yet the man had latched onto the idea of making him into his sidekick.

With a soft sigh, the puppeteer followed Kiba's body as he forced Konan away from him, jumping back and towards the puppet that had been left behind when he'd grabbed the scythe.

There was no understanding Hidan's mind. It was much too fractured and insane to try and figure out. And as long as he didn't try to kill Kiba, Sasori would not have the pleasure of an excuse to turn him into one of his weaker puppets. He was strong in certain situations, but not all that useful outside of them. Unlike Konan, who could be added to his strongest puppets.

The young Inuzuka extended his right arm as he dropped into a crouch, placing the scythe softly on the floor. With a flick of his fingers, the puppet Sasori had built him rose to attention, standing erect.

Konan remained still as she looked at Kiba take control of the puppet, face blank.

The puppet's hood was still up, casting the whole face into darkness. Then, with a flick of his left hand, Kiba stood up, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and moved both his arms. And, in return, the puppet moved forward, following the boy's arms' movements.

It was a shame Kiba had yet to find a name for the first wooden creation Sasori had made in quite a long time. But, from the way he was able to control its movements and send a flurry of attacks at Konan, Sasori knew the boy had taken the puppet as his own. It was only natural for Kiba to control this particular puppet now. And this brought great pride to Sasori.

He had never known having a student could be this... _Enjoyable._ Not only that, but it was also beneficial for the Akatsuki's plans. Both things that brought great joy to his; unfortunately; still beating heart.

Kiba was the perfect definition of a student. Attentive, understanding, and quick to learn. He understood that there was a time for studies and a time for playing, and he was able to separate those two effectively. And he barely ever put up a fight when there was no fight to be had, although he did question a few things when he deemed it necessary.

Why his teachers back in Konoha were not able to see the raw potential for multiple fighting styles in a being this natural adept at learning multiple things at the same time was beyond Sasori's understanding. How could one not see the natural knack for learning in the boy? Clearly, all of the Akatsuki had taken note of this gift within days of the boy being around them. It was a shame he felt so unsure of his own skills.

The patterns of Kiba's fighting were somewhat obvious to Sasori. And to someone as attentive as Konan, they would be as well. But the woman was deflecting them and not going for any of the openings, clearly taking it easy on the young boy.

A sudden variation in the clicking of the puppet intrigued Sasori. But when he looked at the boy, he found a look of hesitation on his face. And this look of hesitation brought a frown to Sasori's lips.

This hesitation was stupid. And he would be calling Kiba out on it after he had finished this set of challenges.

In a second, the lower half of the puppet's face split open to reveal a nozzle, which made Konan's eyes widen in slight surprise. Then a thick black smog shot out of it, shrouding both the puppet and the woman in complete darkness, obscuring them both from sight.

Once more the Inuzuka performed his clan's move, and the puppet fell to the ground lifelessly without any chakra strings to hold him up. And the flurry of spins the boy became hit its target successfully, hitting Konan in the same manner Kiba had managed to defeat Deidara. The woman shouted out as she was sent flying, although she didn't crash against the wall like Deidara. Instead she landed a bit haphazardly beside the leader, legs and arms straining to stop her completely.

"Ring out. Inuzuka wins again."

The frown that came to Sasori deepened further as he looked back at Kiba, only to find the young boy picking his puppet up from the floor and moving it so it wasn't in the middle of the battlefield once more. The set of swords were still strapped to his back, although he hadn't touched them at all in his first two fights. Would the boy even use the weapons given to him by the Monster of the Hidden Mist?

The leader stepped forward as Kiba panted softly, eyes trained on the young boy.

"I see a pattern forming. And I wish to break it immediately." The man announced and Kiba's breath hitched for a moment, noticeable to all in the room. "To defeat me, you will have to _incapacitate_ me. No more trickery to be able to win through ring out. Is that understood?"

The man spoke harshly and definitely, voice holding no room for arguments. And Sasori agreed with the leader's choice. If Kiba continued by just pushing his opponents out of the ring, they would never truly be able to see the reach of his skills. Clearly, he could strategize and fool. He could use diversions to defeat his enemies in a clean manner. But they had yet to see a true gauge of his power. And that was not acceptable.

As Kiba readied himself for his final and, without a doubt, toughest match, Sasori couldn't help but breathe softly. At least the boy had showed to be more than just competent when it came to using his puppet.

If only he could now show them how truly great he had gotten when it came to the complex art...

* * *

"This is the only way, isn't it?"

"Well, unless we want to run the risk of the clans finding out that we kept this all a complete secret from _all_ of them and chancing an uproar that could finish tearing Konoha apart... Well... In that case, _yes_. But if you want to try your luck-"

"Not in this case." Tsunade sighed deeply as she allowed her head to fall into her hands. "I may a gambler, but I am no fool."

Shikaku looked at the woman with a masterfully controlled emotionless face, only to chance a glance at the clearly amused Kakashi and internally roll his eyes.

The Copy Nin had enjoyed toying with the woman the whole time they had been in his office. And, from what he had gathered, it wasn't because he was just in a particularly annoying mood on this day. No, he was enjoying making the woman squirm because of the faulty decisions she had made in the past that had landed her in her current situation. Decisions that had left a young boy in the hands of some of the most dangerous shinobi to ever live.

The very thought of his son's friend caught in the grips of those criminals repulsed Shikaku. But when he allowed himself to even _picture_ Shikamaru in the boy's place... He could understand why Tsunade had kept this a secret from the Inuzuka Clan. But the reason as to why she had spent so long keeping it a secret from even her most trusted shinobi, Shikaku could _not_ understand.

If only she had brought this puzzle to him as soon as it had become a problem, then he would have been able to find a viable solution that would have ensured Kiba's safe return. But now there were many factors to consider before even trying to come up with a feasible plan.

After spending more than a month with the criminal organization, the Kiba Inuzuka they would find would _not_ be the same Shikaku remembered entertaining with a board game a few years ago. And he was more than sure that the Kiba they would find would most probably not be ready to adapt to returning to the village after having gotten accustomed to a new way of living with criminals.

"Well then." With a soft groan, Shikaku stood up from his desk and nodded at his three visitors. "I will have word reach the Clan Heads. Tonight in the Hokage's Mansion. I just hope you are prepared for Tsume's reaction."

At the mention of the wild woman, Tsunade cringed. "That's what I have you and your shadows techniques for, Shikaku."

"I don't think that even _I_ am able to restrain Tsume. Especially not once she's learned of what you are to tell the council." The Nara mumbled slightly while making his way over to his door. "But I will be around to help."

"I'll go and make sure that my pack is ready for the trip." Kakashi announced, then looked at Jiraiya. "How long until we can go?"

The white haired Sannin nodded, a slight frown on his lips. "Depends on how Tsunade's meeting goes." The Sannin sighed, then raised his hand to scratch at his hair. "But the sooner, the better. Time is already not on our side on this."

The younger man sighed softly, "It never is."

* * *

He had no idea just how he had managed to defeat Deidara and Konan without acquiring any injuries. He had hoped his hastily thought up plans would work, but he had never, in a million years, actually expected for them to work.

From the way Deidara had been glaring at first, he had thought that man was pissed with him. But now the blonde was actually smirking at him, which made Kiba think he wasn't as angry as before. Maybe it was because now he'd also defeated Konan, so he wasn't the only one that had been beaten by a mere genin. And Konan looked just as calm as ever, showing no true annoyance or anger on her face.

Taking in a big breath to try and calm his racing heart, Kiba looked at the leader's face. He was as stern and calm as ever, showing no true emotions with his face either.

Kiba took a few steps back to make sure he was close to his puppet and scythe, all the while keeping his eyes on the leader. He had no idea what this man could do. With Konan and Deidara, he had been lucky enough to have _some_ idea as to how they fought. But he'd never even seen a whisper of what this man could possibly do. For all Kiba knew, he could use rainbows and lollipops in battle! Which was highly unlikely, although it did make for a rather amusing image in the boy's head.

"Are you ready, Inuzuka?"

For a second, Kiba hesitated.

Just what the hell did he think he was doing? He couldn't possibly defeat the leader! There must have been a reason for _him_ being the leader of this organization! And he must have been especially strong if he had the likes of Itachi and Hiruko working for _him_!

Looking away from the red head's stern gaze, Kiba chanced a glance at Itachi. And the dark haired male looked calm and serene, although there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. And when he noticed that Kiba's eyes were on him, the man nodded just slightly. And Kiba felt his heart skip a beat and his chest swell with assurance.

Itachi believed in him.

Sending the man a small smile of his own, Kiba looked at the leader. Then, with a slight nod of his own, he prepared himself for whatever the man might do.

Unlike Deidara and Konan, that had both waited for him to make the first move, Pein moved first. And he ran straight at Kiba, sending a powerful kick in the boy's direction.

Kiba dodged it immediately and retaliated by trying to sweep the man's leg from beneath him, only to have the man jump and try to punch him. And because the angle was so awkward and uncomfortable, all Kiba could truly do was roll away and hope that the man didn't follow after him. Unfortunately, he did. And Kiba found his body reacting before his mind fully processed what was happening.

What he did know was that one second he had rolled away from a punch. Then, in the next, he found himself forcing himself as far as he could from Pein, a flash of something black registering before he was a few feet away from the man with his body screaming out at how awkwardly and unprofessionally he had performed the dodge.

Breathing heavily, Kiba's eyes widened as soon as he figured out just what the flash of black had been.

It wasn't a sword in itself. If anything, it looked more like a black, metallic pipe. But it had come out of literally nowhere and the leader held it as if it were a sword. But the man was on him once more before Kiba could truly think of what was happening with his choice of weaponry, forcing the boy to react if he didn't want to get hit.

As he dodged and parried as many of the hits of the man, pushing his body to move faster than he ever had before to keep up with the leader's attacks, Kiba decided that he couldn't possibly try to win this match with only hand to hand. The leader had taken out that pipe for a reason. Maybe it was because he wanted to force Kiba to use the sword skills Kisame had forced onto him. And if that was the case, then Kiba couldn't really complain. Using the swords may just give him a chance at victory.

In one of the man's down swings, Kiba saw an opening and took it. He forced chakra into his arm and blocked the man's swing, then jumped in between the space left by the block. Once he landed, he rolled away from the leader, moving his arms to his back to grab at his swords. And before he had even turned around to face the leader once more, he raised his weapons to dodge the blow that would undoubtedly come.

The clashing of metal made his ears ring agonizingly, and he grit his teeth together to stop himself from making any noise at the discomfort. But his eyes were able to meet the leader's own this time as they met at a standstill, pipe to swords, and Kiba rejoiced internally. It wasn't much by much, but he was able to _breathe_ at this point now that the man's rushed attacks had been stopped momentarily.

He had known the man would be a difficult and dangerous adversary. But he hadn't expected Pein to push him to his very limits.

"Come on, kid! Lord Jashin is on your side!"

Even though Hidan was insane, Kiba had to concede that he made a pretty good cheerleader.

With a frown and complete exertion, Kiba did his best to forc Pein back. Then, once there was enough space to move, he took it. Forcing chakra all over his body to reinforce his attacks, the boy pushed forward. And now it was Kiba fighting relentlessly, sending a flurry of attacks at the man, who dodged, deflected, and weaved his way out of most of them.

It literally took Kiba all of his energy and a good portion of his chakra to just get to this point. And now that he had Pein backing up, his mind came up with a blank as to what he should do to defeat him.

It wasn't as if he could just hope that a surprise Fang Over Fang would stop him. And he most probably wouldn't allow him even the slightest separation, which meant Kiba wouldn't be able to make up any plans with either the puppet or the scythe. He could only truly use these swords and the few kunai he had in the pouch strapped to his leg.

There was a moment in which the leader was preoccupied blocking one of Kiba's swords, stopping it as it swung sideways. And this allowed Kiba to use his right arm to force his katana downward, directing it at the man's shoulder. The man wanted to be incapacitated to give Kiba the victory. This meant Kiba could not hesitate like he had with Konan. He would have to be ruthless in this match.

But, just when the blade of his sword was about to meet with the man's body, it stopped. Suddenly Kiba found himself suspended in the air, feeling a sudden rush of weightlessness. His eyes widened in pure shock, looking at the man, only to see that Pein's face had not changed at all.

And, as suddenly as his blade had been stopped, Kiba found himself being thrown to the other side of the room as if he were nothing more than a mere fly being swatted.

"What the fuck, you bastard!? You're fucking cheating with that technique!"

Kiba collided with the floor on his left then right side before he skidded to a graceless stop, landing painfully on his back. Closing his eyes tightly, he tried to keep from crying out in both shock and pain, not having expected to face whatever jutsu it was that the leader had used on him. It was unlike anything he had ever witnessed in his life.

The rush of lack of _control_ , being suspended in midair without a way to get down, only to get thrown halfway across the room... It was _terrifying_.

And the even scarier part of all of it was that he knew that Pein had been holding back in his attack.

"We are not here to coddle the boy, Hidan."

With a shake of his head, Kiba forced himself to stand up, even as his body lurched with aches. The leader was distracted momentarily by Hidan's shouting for being a cheating prick and Kiba appreciated the moment allowed to breathe.

Sniffing at the air, he noticed that someone had spilled blood. And from the way the man looked as intact and pristine as ever, he knew that it was undoubtedly him who was bleeding.

Just as he took stock of this, he tried to open his left eye. Only to find that there was a liquid weighing it down, keeping it closed. So the boy raised his hand and felt the warm liquid running down over his eye, then followed it to find a cut on his forehead. It must have happened when he had impacted against the ground.

"He is to prove himself to the Akatsuki. He cannot do that if you baby him."

"If you fucking kill my sidekick, you heretic bastard, I will make sure-"

"He will not force my hand, Hidan."

Pein continued to answer Hidan's heated shouts. He was distracted. And he honestly believed Kiba would not be able to win this. Kiba could use this... But if he was to truly take advantage of this, then there was no time to waste. He would have to act immediately even though he was pretty sure that nothing he came up with would work.

The boy took in a big breath to calm himself, released it, then brought his hands up to his chest to make four different hand seals. Once he had done that, he looked directly at Pein, praying to whatever god would listen- Lord Jashin's name popped up in the prayer a few times- that his extremely reckless plan would help. Focusing his chakra and his mind, he really hoped this hastily thought of plan would work.

A few seconds passed in which Pein said nothing. Then the man began to chuckle softly, turning to look at Kiba even as Hidan called at him to pay attention to him.

"Genjutsu?" He questioned with an amused quirk of his eyebrow, "How amusing."

But he didn't try to release himself. Which made the young Inuzuka thank all the gods that had listened to his prayers and go through another set of hand signs.

Once had completed this, he forced himself to delve into his reserves of chakra and push it forward, even with how tired he truly felt, and slammed his hands into the floor, allowing the ground to begin to swallow him up. There were gasps from the members of the Akatsuki that were watching the match, clearly surprised by the newest technique, but he didn't allow himself too much to think on this.

Like Kakuzu had taught him, he rushed his way through the ground until he had reached the leader. And once he was directly beneath the man, he forced his hands through the surface, grabbed onto his ankles, and pulled the man down until all that remained above ground was a bit of his shoulders and his head.

"Where could you be going with this illusion?"

The man's question was muffled through the ground, but Kiba could hear it. And the smile that found its way onto his face was unrestrained as he pushed himself fully through the surface, right beside where his sword had fallen. Then he ran as quickly as he could over to the man, even as he ignored how much his body was screaming at him to just _stop_ , and pointed the blade at the man's neck.

He was panting heavily and he was in a lot of pain. He could only really see with one eye because the other was still closed because of the drying blood making it stay closed. But he had somehow managed to trick the leader of the Akatsuki who now only had his head sticking out from the ground.

"Release." He mumbled softly, breaking the minute illusion he had cast over the man's mind.

And when Pein noticed that what Kiba had made him see had been reality, his odd eyes widened almost comically.

"Earth Style: Head Hunter Jutsu." The boy made out between huffs, allowing a small smile onto his face as he kept the blade to the man's neck. "Incapacitated enough?"

For a moment, no one said a thing. The only thing that could truly be heard in the room was Kiba's panting. But then Hidan broke it in a manner that only he could manage.

"Kakuzu, what the fuck do you think you're doing!? You're not allowed to teach my sidekick anything!"

It wasn't even that funny. But with his heart hammering away at his chest and the adrenaline pumping in his veins, Kiba found his shout to be hilarious. So he gasped out a few laughs, hold on his sword loosening enough for it to fall from his hand. Then, he fell onto his knees, body finally giving way on him.

He had never been forced to move so fast or use so much chakra. Two Fang Over Fang's, the use of the puppet, then the genjutsu, and finally the earth style jutsu. And throughout all of that, he had used chakra on any part of his body he used for attack or defense purposes. All in all, he had no idea just how he had managed to even manage to finish the fight.

"Shut up, Hidan."

Kiba noted that someone walked towards him, then he heard what was undoubtedly ground rising and sliding as it was moved by an earth style user. Finally, once all of that ended, he felt two hands on his shoulders, forcing him to stand up.

When he looked up, he found that the leader was the one holding him up, looking him in the eyes with a very minute tilt to his lips. And by minute, Kiba was sure that he was just imagining it. He had been doing that a lot, imagining things that would make him happy if they were real.

"You incapacitated me enough to deliver a finishing blow. You won, Inuzuka."

The man's voice was as neutral as ever. But Kiba found himself smiling like an idiot nonetheless.

"Hey, Itachi," He breathed in to steady himself, even as his legs begged him to just allow them to collapse. He craned his neck to look at the dark haired man, who looked back at him with a soft smile of his own. "Think you can make some steak for dinner tonight?"

He swore he heard someone chuckle. But he was engulfed by darkness before he could make sure that it had been Itachi to be amused by his words.

* * *

"You were right."

"I told you."

"I had not been expecting him to have grown so much. It was a surprise."

"I am aware, Pein. Now, do you agree with what I am proposing?"

The orange haired man looked at the puppeteer, face speaking of the calculations he was making in his mind.

Sasori stood in front of him and Konan in his true form, having abandoned Hiruko's armor for this meeting. And his purple haired accomplice looked at the man with no readable emotions on her face, although Pein could tell what she was thinking.

When Sasori had first brought this offer to their attention, Pein had been sure of one thing. Even though Kiba Inuzuka might learn, he would never truly be prepared for the hardship that would come from being in their organization. He had fully expected the boy to try and leave them weeks ago. He had been prepared to deal with the boy's carcass after the only mission he'd ever gone on, sure that Kakuzu or Hidan would have successfully murdered him.

He had been wrong. If anything, those two had grown attached to the boy. Just like Kisame and Itachi had gotten attached as they traveled with him on their return trip to the organization's base.

"He knows the basics of strategizing." Konan conceded, "But he still needs some lessons in covering up his emotions. He needs to learn how to act before we follow through with your plans, Sasori."

"I am aware." The puppeteer nodded, "But there is no way that he will learn how to truly fool anyone if we keep him in here. He knows how to work with all of us. He knows how to avoid conflict with us. To make sure he truly knows how to adapt in non-combat situations, he will have to be taken outside of the base."

Pein allowed himself to ponder on the man's words, what he was proposing, what he wanted to do with Kiba.

He had not been expecting the Inuzuka boy to be a long term investment.

But, he had also not expected the boy to survive his mission with Hidan and Kakuzu, either. It seemed that the boy enjoyed proving him wrong.

"Have you told him what you wish for him to do?" He questioned, "Even though he has gotten better, the Inuzuka is still a very emotional being. What you wish for him to do... It may irritate him, crawl under his skin and truly bother him."

At this, the puppeteer straightened his back and narrowed his eyes. "I am aware. And you do not have to worry on that front. Kiba will _not_ refuse any missions from us. Not after everything we have done for him." Then he smiled softly, "It is his clan's way, after all, to be loyal to those that deserve it the most. And the Akatsuki has done nothing but provide shelter and comfort for him in an otherwise turbulent and horrifying world."

"So you have taken an interest in the Inuzuka Clan?" Pein questioned, although he already knew the answer.

The man nodded, "It is an interesting Clan. And some of their members have skills that are worth immortalizing."

"But you shall be doing none of that yet." The leader warned, eyes narrowing slightly. Even though the man before him could be patient, he could also be impulsive. And they couldn't have their presence being exposed just yet. Not widely. "The spies in Konoha have been successful, then? And you have managed to gather information on the boy?"

"That I have." The man's voice took on an intrigued tone and his face became almost excited. "Did you have any idea of what status Kiba holds in his clan?"

Both Konan and Pein shook their heads, even though they already knew Sasori knew what their answer would be.

"Clan heir. He is the next in line to become Clan Head." Sasori smiled softly at this, "He is perfect for what I have proposed. Loyal, intelligent, honorable, _and_ humble. He is the perfect soldier."

"And he is being taught by seven different members of the Akatsuki." Konan cut in, "He is quite the curious case. Not one we could ever hope to replicate to help the Akatsuki."

"One we would not _need_ to replicate if we play our cards correctly." Pein assured, then told Sasori, "I will send him and two more members of the Akatsuki off on an infiltration mission. It will force him to learn and adapt quickly." Then he turned to Konan, "Would you mind?"

"Not at all, sir." The woman bowed softly, "I would be grateful to be able to help Kiba develop this part of his skills."

"Itachi would want to go with him. He's become extremely attached to him." Sasori pointed out, which merely made Pein nod.

"I am aware. A fact we can use to our advantage as well. Having Itachi so attracted to the boy is only beneficial when it comes to keeping him loyal."

With these words, the man stood up from his chair, "Let us go back to be with the rest of the organization. They will undoubtedly be curious as to where we went when we were supposed to be celebrating Inuzuka's victories."

"Don't worry about that. He's undoubtedly going to stay unconscious for a while longer after pushing himself so much." Sasori commented as he walked over to Hiruko, then began to enter the puppet.

"Although I must have a word with him about the dangers of hesitation." The man's voice changed into Hiruko's rough tone, and Pein couldn't help the curious quirk of his eyebrows. "Blinding Konan with the fog was not as effective as it would have been if he had used the irritating brand in the puppet's eyes." The man explained, "And that change in tactics could be the difference between life and death in an actual fight."

Like most times, Pein found himself agreeing with Sasori's choices of strategy. If Kiba had truly wanted to win, he would have made sure Konan wouldn't have been able to see his attack.

If this ever happened again, Konan would not stay in the same place like she had. And the Inuzuka would then be forced into a difficult spot, strategy wise.

"Let's go."

He opened the door to his office and allowed Konan and Hiruko to pass by him before he followed them. Then all three of them made their way to the Akatsuki's lounge area, where they found most of the members interacting and trying not to kill each other.

It did not surprise him to hear that Hidan was still accusing Kakuzu of wanting to steal his sidekick. Not much could shock him when it came to the crazed priest.

Kiba was resting up on one of the couches and Sasori made his way there, settling beside the boy without a single word to any of the members of the organization.

The man may say that he only took Kiba under his wing for the good of the Akatsuki, but Pein knew better. The boy had somehow managed to worm his way into the graces of all of the members of the organization. Even into Konan's own.

He still wasn't completely sure if he had done right by allowing them to grow so close to him. But, if what Sasori said was true, he would not regret it at all in the next few years.


	37. Not According to Plan

The boy had managed to trick their leader into believing that what had been happening during the match had actually been a genjutsu. He had used his shortcomings in this particular type of jutsu, one that made it very obvious that he was trying to trick the receiver, to trick the man.

Why Kiba had believed so lowly of himself was beyond Itachi. Especially after the display he had put up against three members of the Akatsuki.

It brought the Uchiha great pride to know that the Inuzuka had gone so far in his life. He was strong and smart. Maybe now that he had managed to defeat three members of their organization, he'd be able to see himself for what he truly was.

As Itachi thought this, he allowed himself to look at the young boy. He was still unconscious after having defeated the leader and would remain that way for at least a few more minutes.

"He put on quite the show."

He had already finished grilling the steaks Kiba had asked for right before he had fallen unconscious, all the while Kakuzu cooked some vegetables. Even if the boy hadn't asked for it specifically, Itachi had already thought about making him this cut of steak after everything he had done. It was a prize, in a way, for having been able to defeat three members of their organization with only a few hiccups.

Now he stood off to a side of the room, looking around the group of men. Hidan was trying to argue with Kakuzu over who was to be Kiba's only teacher, Kisame sat on one of the couches with his head back, eyes closed, and a heavy frown on his face, and Deidara sat beside him with his own eyes closed, but with his arms crossed and without a frown.

Itachi couldn't blame Kisame for being somewhat angry. He had just seen a boy he had grown to care for fight off three dangerous adversaries. And even if Kisame would never admit to it, he really did care about Kiba. Enough to not want him to be thrust needlessly into danger. This made Itachi feel both relaxed and worried at the same time.

Just how deep did the shark nin's care run?

He didn't want to think of that now. Instead, the Uchiha turned his head and nodded softly at the leader's observation. He had been wondering when Hiruko, Konan, and Pein would finish up with whatever it was that they had all been doing.

Must have been together from the way they all walked in at about the same time.

"Kisame told you he wasn't some run of the mill genin." Itachi remarked, although somewhat bitterly.

It had been Kisame that had spoken the loudest when they had first brought Kiba to their organization. It had been him that had told the leader that the Inuzuka was an investment worth making. And, unbelievably, Itachi regretted having allowed him to speak so readily.

Kiba had been accepted by the organization seamlessly. Even Deidara seemed to have come to embrace the boy, even though he had started off not liking him because of his clear connection with Itachi.

He had pushed the boy away at first... And it had been for nothing.

... Yet, it had been for _everything_ , all at the same time. He had already created an image of himself to the other members of the Akatsuki. He portrayed himself as cruel and cold, someone that was not to be messed with. And to show sudden care for Kiba would prove that he was _human_. Something that he couldn't risk in a group of individuals like these.

"I wish to send him on a mission with you." The man never turned his eyes on Itachi. Instead they looked over the group of criminals under his command. When Itachi followed his line of sight directly, he found that he was looking at the sleeping Kiba. He noticed that Hiruko made his way over to the boy, only to settle beside him. "There is one skill he won't be able to refine through theory and practice. And Konan will be accompanying you to help the process along."

A mission with Kiba and Konan?

For a second, Itachi allowed himself to see himself following after an excited and happy Kiba, a small smile on his face. He would love to be able to have some quality time with the boy. He wished to make his feelings clear for the young boy. He wished to have the boy's own feelings made clear.

But he chased those thoughts away immediately. Konan would be accompanying them. The leader's trusted lap dog. He would not be able to have any emotional interactions with the boy while the woman was around. He couldn't allow her to see any true emotion. Just like he couldn't allow any of the other members of the Akatsuki to see anything more than just a small amount of detached care for the Inuzuka.

"What will our mission be?" He questioned, turning his dark eyes so he could see the man.

Now the leader looked back at him, although his face remained stoic and emotionless. "An infiltration that will require for Kiba to disguise himself and convince others of being something he is not." Pein answered, then informed, "Deceit on the battlefield is one thing. He has already shown competence in this. But deceit _off_ the battlefield is much more difficult and he will need to know this before we begin to truly incorporate him into our plans."

The man's words were smooth, to the point, and honest. And they made Itachi's stomach churn uncomfortably.

 _Incorporate him into our plans_.

Into the Akatsuki's plan?

... Itachi wasn't sure if he wanted Kiba anywhere _near_ those plans...

* * *

Tsunade was _not_ prepared for the meeting of the Clan Heads. Even though she knew what she was going to say, how she would say it, and why she would say it, she knew she wasn't prepared. Even though she was prepared on her end, she was _not_ prepared for the reactions she would receive.

Tsume would, undoubtedly, try to kill her. The woman had made a promise and a threat, after all. And the Inuzuka were an honorable group that stuck to their promises.

Shikaku would be around to help calm her. But it wasn't as if they could actually count on one man when it came to stopping an enraged Inuzuka matriarch. Especially when the reason she was so enraged stood at the center of a room, within a few feet of being touched and accessible to killing.

Still, that wasn't the reason why Tsunade was feeling so worried and apprehensive. Tsume, out of all of the clan heads, was the most predictable. She would scream, shout, threaten, most probably try to run off and find her son, and threaten some more. She was easy to read and plan against. No, the reason why Tsunade was so worried wasn't the Inuzuka Clan Head. Instead she worried over how the other clan heads would react.

Hiashi would be respectful and cordial, like all Hyuga's. But his daughter was one of Kiba's best friends. She had been affected by his absence. And because she had been affected, so had her father and sister. He may not scream and yell like Tsume, but how he would feel after he found out the boy's true fate was lost to Tsunade. He may not care at all... Or he could denounced Tsunade as an incompetent Hokage and move to have her abdicated.

Shibi was even more of an enigma. The Aburame clan was not known for having individuals with emotions running rampant. But Shino had been affected greatly by what had happened to his friend. And if there was one thing Shibi cared about more than his own life, it was his son's life. After he had lost his wife, he had been left Shino to care for. And while he was one of the most stoic Aburame she had ever met, the love he had for his son was tangible. Just like Hiashi, he could be outraged to hear that his son's friend had been left to his fate even when they might have been able to save him if they had been allowed to act sooner.

She was less worried about Inoichi and Chouza because of their close ties to Shikaku... But she didn't rest on their friendship. They were as much wild cards as Shibi and Hiashi were. Both men may stand behind their friend like they were so known to do, or they could ask for Tsunade to be removed from her position as Hokage.

At this moment, four of the five main clan heads were wild cards.

Why had she agreed to take this job? ... Right... Naruto...

With a sigh, the blonde woman sat herself at the head of a large u-shaped table, the seat reserved for the Hokage. Shizune looked at her with slightly worried eyes as she sat herself beside the blonde, but Tsunade merely waved the concern off. She needed to steel herself for what was about to come and didn't feel like talking to Shizune would help her. Instead, it may just make her feel even _worse_ than she already did.

She didn't have her ANBU bodyguards with her tonight either. She couldn't risk too many people knowing the truth. And even though she trusted them with her life, she couldn't test her chances. Not yet.

The first clan head to walk into the room was Shikaku, which surprised both women. Even more so when Shikamaru strolled in after him, with his hands thrust into his pockets and a disgruntled frown on his face.

"What is the meaning of this, Shikaku?" Tsunade questioned immediately, standing up to and placing either of her hands on the table before her. "I told you that this was to be kept between as little people as possible."

The scarred Nara looked back at her with all seriousness, "I heard. But I also know that I may not be enough to restrain Tsume. Besides, Shikamaru has a good head on his shoulders. I already told him everything you told me and he is eager to do anything possible to help his friend."

After he said this, the young Nara spoke up, "I don't like the idea of Kiba being stuck with a bunch of criminals. And I think you were an idiot for having kept this hidden for so long."

"Shikamaru." Shikaku warned, which made the boy huff and turn his nose away from either adults.

"But dad tells me you have a plan to get him back. And that if any of the Inuzuka run off to get him back, they are very likely to screw everything up." The boy told them with a sigh, "I don't like the fact that Kiba was allowed to go through so much alone. But now I know. And I refuse to lounge around and let him continue living through it."

Strong words for a Nara. For once, Shikamaru didn't look tired or like he was about to lay down for a nap. Instead he looked like a ninja that was ready to fight. Shikaku must have been proud.

"I shouldn't have doubted your decision." The woman looked at Shikaku with a softened face, who in turn nodded at her and moved so he was standing in the chair a few feet to her left.

"Don't worry about it. Shikamaru-"

"I'm moving." The boy grouched slightly, the strong faced determination he had just shown evaporating into a lazy wave. He walked so he was standing beside his father, though he didn't have a chair to sit on.

The scarred Nara crossed his arms over his chest, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair. Tsunade took this as the man preparing himself for what was to come and didn't blame him. Everyone had their own way of preparing themselves for utter disasters, after all.

The rest of the clan heads trickled in slowly but surely. Inoichi and Chouza appeared together and made their way over to Shikaku, greeting him and Shikamaru with confusion yet acceptance. They most probably believed that everything Shikaku did was for a reason. So if Shikamaru was there, it was for a justifiable reason that would be explained later on.

Tsume stalked into the room with a composed scowl a few minutes after, Kuromaru following after her like a silent shadow. And in her arms was...

"Is that Akamaru?"

The pup peeked his head out of the woman's arms at the sound of the Nara's voice, yipping animatedly as soon as he caught sight of the young heir. Tsume, without a word, released the pup, allowing him to run up to Shikamaru. The Nara crouched down and began to pet him, eyebrows arched in a show of clear surprise and confusion.

 _Akamaru_? When had he gotten back? _How?_

Turning to Shizune, Tsunade didn't even have to ask her a single thing before the woman was answering.

"Naruto, Shino, and Hinata returned this afternoon. But you were so busy dealing with the preparations of tonight that I wasn't able to warn you." The woman whispered into her ear, "And they brought Akamaru back with them."

As soon as the woman had said this, Tsunade cursed her horrible luck. Then she looked up as Hiashi and Shibi entered the room, completing the invited clan heads.

"My boy was in danger." Tsume announced abruptly, making everyone turn to look at her in shock. "To complete a mission, he was separated from his partner. The Hokage told us that he was sent on another mission after that, a month long important one that would keep him. But we Inuzuka are not stupid."

Tsunade frowned at the woman's strong words, eyes narrowing in her direction.

"Akamaru filled in quite a few gaps within your stories. And now it all makes sense." The woman's eyes were narrowed as she looked completely at the Hokage, although, for some reason, Tsunade felt no anger behind her words. No distrust. Just... _Pain_. "I would like to thank you, Lady Tsunade, for trying to spare my feelings. But there was no need for it. We may not be stupid, but we _are_ strong. And we can hear news of our heir's death without breaking apart."

A heavy silence hung over the room once Tsume had finished speaking. And Tsunade couldn't help but be completely stumped and taken aback by the Inzuka clan's leader.

Had she truly just...?

"Tsume." Shikaku's deep voice broke through the heavy silence, causing everyone to look at him. "Just what, exactly, did Akamaru tell you?"

Kuromaru stepped up so he stood beside his partner, his own maw pulled in by a severity that could only be expected when talking of difficult things.

"The pup told us of when Team 8 was captured. How they all fought until they couldn't anymore. Until Akamaru was forced to leave his partner behind to ensure the safe return of the merchant to her home." The dog's voice was course and rough, heavy with the thought of Kiba's death. "He has not seen Kiba since. It was by an intervention of fate that he was able to meet with Naruto, Hinata, and Shino while they returned from their mission."

"As you know, while the human members of our clan have a connection with all of our dogs, it is limited." Tsume spoke up, planting her hands on her hips. "We have a rather rudimentary understanding of what the other member's dogs are thinking. But only partners can read each other perfectly. Kuromaru, though, knows our language and is able to tell us what Akamaru encountered."

Tsunade feared that Akamaru had blown open everything they had worked to keep secret. But the pup was acting strangely. He didn't seem to be mourning, like she'd seen Inuzuka dogs do before. Instead he was busying himself by lightly biting at Shikamaru's hands, all the while the boy pet lazily at his head. He... Didn't seem like a dog that had just lost his one, true partner.

The blonde woman scrutinized Akamaru for one more second before looking back at Tsume, who patted Kuromaru's head.

"Akamaru told Kuromaru everything. He went through quite an ordeal while trying to return to our village." Tsume sighed, then looked at the Hokage. "We will begin funeral arrangements tomorrow."

Quite frankly, Tsunade did not know how to take this information. Clearly, Akamaru had lied. Kakashi had told her that the pup had been there with Kiba when they went to retrieve him. He was sure of it because the pup and Pakkun had interacted. And the small dog himself had told Tsunade that he had told the pup to stay with the Inuzuka no matter what.

So, if they hadn't really been separated for so long, why did Akamaru tell Kuromaru otherwise? And, more curious yet, what was he doing here? When had he gotten completely separated from his partner?

Shikaku looked at her with an inquiring eyebrow quirked, asking Tsunade how they were to proceed. And the woman had no idea exactly.

Shikamaru decided to make his presence be recognized at that point.

"Kiba isn't dead."

All of the adults looked at him, causing him to straighten up and look at Tsume right in the eyes. "He's still alive. There's no need to prepare a funeral for someone that isn't dead."

"What?" Kuromaru questioned, "But Akamaru-"

"Let the boy speak, Kuromaru." Tsume interrupted her partner, then nodded at the Nara. "Explain yourself."

Tsunade's blood ran cold as soon as Shikamaru opened his mouth to do so. Even more so when she saw that Shikaku did nothing to stop the boy.

Goodbye, Hokage position. Goodbye the ability to command all kinds of shinobi. Goodbye annoying paperwork... Well, thinking of it in that manner, maybe it wasn't so bad that she would be kicked out of her position.

She could hand herself over to a nomadic life again. It hadn't been all that bad the first time around, after all.

These optimistically pessimistic thoughts of the blonde, though, were halted when the Nara explained himself.

"Kiba was kidnapped by a group of dangerous criminals that threatened the Hokage with killing him if anybody tried to go after him." Shikamaru told the woman, then looked at Tsunade. "She kept it all under wraps to keep anyone from your clan from trying to save him so she could think of a proper strategy to get him back."

He kept his opinion of her actions to himself. But Tsunade didn't have much time to think of this before Tsume was grabbing her attention.

"Is this the truth?" The woman questioned immediately, eyes narrowed disbelievingly. "Did you keep this from me because you thought my clan was so impulsive?"

Tsunade felt herself bristle at the unvoiced anger, but calmed down and looked at the woman levelly. "In my defense, you tried to go after your son even when I gave you a censored version of what had happened. If you felt so distraught and eager to get him back, how would the rest of your clan have felt?"

"Of course I would want to get him back, you bitch! He's my son!" Tsume slammed her hands against the table beneath her with anger, then hissed, "But none of the members of my clan would have jeopardized his life in such a manner if the threat was clear!"

Tsunade knew that this wouldn't have been the case back then. This new story Shikamaru had given was much more believable and polished than what she had managed to come up with. Clearly, Shikaku had planned for this.

Damned Nara... Thank Kami he was around!

The clearing of someone's throat broke Tsume and Tsunade out of their glaring contest, making them look at who had made the noise. And Hiashi looked back at them with a stoic look on his face, no emotions clear on his face.

"Although this has been rather intriguing," He turned to Tsunade with a slightly quirked eyebrow, "Lady Hokage, why are the rest of the clan heads here? This seems like a conversation that could have been had with only you and Tsume."

Hiashi Hyuga. One of the most respectful jerks Tsunade had ever managed to meet.

"I could answer that." The head of the Nara clan now stood up from his chair, leveling his fellow clan head's with a stern look. "First of all, it is as a caution. You all have kids. We do not know this organization's true reasoning for taking Kiba and holding him hostage. But, if Kiba wasn't safe, it is only logical to assume that neither of the rest of the clan heirs are. It is to tell you to be careful with your own children and look out for them." Then, his looked became fierce, reminding Tsunade of when Jiraiya chose to get serious. "And, second of all, it so let you know that, to retrieve Kiba, it will take more than just my strategic mind. It will take the actions of the rest of the village to make everything seem normal. If the clans continue to act normally, so will Konoha."

Inoichi closed his eyes and nodded sagely, "I understand, Shikaku. You want us to try and get the tensions between the clans under control."

"Exactly."

"Well, really, the main problem has been the distrust growing among the Inuzuka." Chouza pointed out, only to get glared at by Tsume.

"Wanna say that again to my face, pork chop?"

The man shook his head slowly, although he didn't stand down.

"Tsume, please." Shibi spoke up for the first time during the whole meeting, looking at the woman with complete calm. "There is no need to fight amongst ourselves."

"He insulted my clan!"

Tsunade had lost complete control of this meeting. And she wasn't sure if it had been a completely bad thing.

Glancing quickly at Shikaku, she noted that the man had sat back down and leaned into his chair once more. He looked completely at ease, even as the rest of the clan heads devolved into petty arguments like they usually did when a meeting like this was held.

He had planned for this to happen. That damned Nara.

* * *

When Kiba awoke, it was to the smell of mouth watering steak and a pounding headache.

Aside from the steak, he could smell all of the member's of the organization around him. And from the way he was shouting, Kiba could tell that Hidan was still angry at Kakuzu for having taught him the Head Hunter jutsu. He could smell that Hiruko was right beside him, and he could feel that he was resting on one of the couches in the living room.

And he could smell that Itachi was a few feet away, beside the leader. What could those two be doing together?

Kisame wasn't really interacting with anybody, much like Konan and Deidara.

"You're awake."

A small smile made its way onto the boy's face at Hiruko's observation, and he cracked one eye open to look at the puppeteer.

"Yeah. I am." Then he looked around the room and found that everyone had stopped what they had been doing and turned to look at him.

He felt self conscious. The fact that he had been three of the people here was very much clear in his mind. It just... Well, it was unbelievable to think that a genin like him had been able to defeat three members of this organization. It seemed incredibly farfetched. Even to him.

"Uh..." He stumbled for words, then smiled sheepishly. "How'd I do?"

For a second, none of the shinobi moved. But, much to _no one's_ surprise, Hidan moved forward and wrapped his arms around Kiba, picking him up from the couch to spin him around.

"I told you fuckers that with Lord Jashin by his side my sidekick could not be beat!" The man shouted out excitedly, then allowed the boy to place his feet on the floor, only to ruffle his hair. "You beat all the bitches and made our god proud. I think you're ready to move onto more complex combinations!"

When he allowed Kiba to stand, the boy felt his legs wobble. Even though he felt rested, his body was still reeling from the past fights and felt rather weak. And when he was about to fall to the floor once more because of the lack of strength in his legs, he heard Hiruko's tail rush out, then felt it wrap around his waist, pulling him up into the air.

"Hidan, you idiot!" Kakuzu growled with a slap to the back of the Jashinist's head, "He used most of his chakra in the fight! He's still recovering!"

"You fucking bastard!" Hidan barked back, moving to attack Kakuzu, only to have Deidara send a small bird to fly between them and explode into a puff of smoke in front of their faces.

"You are such kids." He commented offhandedly with a yawn, which made Hidan turn his anger to him.

While all of this happened, Kiba was still carried by Hiruko's tail. And he didn't really mind it because his body felt like lead, heavy and tired.

"Shall we move to the dining room?"

The petty squabbling between Deidara and Hidan was cut off by the leader's deep and rich voice speaking up, which made all of the people in the room turn and look at him.

This was the first Kiba heard of any dining room. But, from the way the les volatile and insane members of the organization nodded and began to move, he guessed that they knew what the man was talking about.

Hiruko walked him to the dining room without a single word. And, carried by the metallic tail, Kiba didn't really mind just looking at the other members as they made their way towards one of the doors to the side of the room. Inside there was a long table with nine chairs, and it smelled of one of the richest woods Kiba had ever come into contact with.

The leader sat himself at the head of the table, then the rest of the members were allowed to sit wherever else they wanted. Hiruko sat himself by the corner closest to the leader, and, in turn, sat Kiba beside him.

Much to his surprise and happiness, Itachi sat himself to Kiba's side without needing to say a single thing.

Once all of the members were seated, Konan came into the room with clumps of paper traveling after her. There were plates and jugs on top of those clumps and the savory smells immediately made Kiba's mouth begin to water.

With a wave of her arm, Konan made some of the clumps of paper move forward and in front of all of the members, then set plates, cups, and chopsticks down for them to use. Then, with another wave, the papers set the food and jugs down in the center of the table for them to be able to grab.

"Before we begin," The leader spoke up as Konan made her way to sit in the only vacant chair left, the one beside him. "I would like to formally welcome Kiba Inuzuka into our organization."

The boy's eyes widened upon hearing his words. And when he looked up at the leader, he found that the man the corners of the man's lips pulled up just faintly, almost imperceptible.

"At first, I did not think you would be deserving of being part of this organization. But you have proved me wrong." The man said earnestly, the nodded. "Welcome to the Akatsuki, Kiba."

The young male had not been expecting this... Not at all. But he managed to nod stiffly back at the man, prompting him to allow the rest of the members to begin eating.

Itachi served his food for him, mindful to fill his plate with more meat than vegetables.

Uncharacteristically, Kiba did not devour his steak. Instead, he ate slowly, dumbly.

He... Had not been expecting this. _None_ of this.

He had not expected much out of his deal with Itachi. He had honestly not thought much about his future when he'd made the deal. But he had not expected to be trained by a group of S Rank criminals. Never in a million years would he have thought that something like this could happen. Just like he had never thought he'd ever be a true part of their organization...

But now, as he looked at the men and woman he was surrounded by, he couldn't help but feel a tug at his heart.

He missed his home. _A lot_.

But... Not as much anymore. The ache in his chest wasn't as painful anymore. The hole in his heart didn't feel as big anymore. The image of them glaring at him for abandoning them wasn't as scathing anymore.

And he was terrified to figure out why that was.


	38. Infiltration

Kiba wasn't prepared to hear that he had a new mission. He had just defeated three members of the Akatsuki in a small contest and that had left him just about drained. But it seemed that they had very different plans for him.

"It is to be an infiltration mission. We need information on this target." Pein slid forward a file with a picture of half of an unknown person's face over his desk, prompting Kiba to grab it.

The boy picked it up and examined the picture, taking in the person's odd appearance. Medium length mint green hair, a bright orange eye that didn't seem to have a pupil, an orange clip on the visible side of her hair, and a broad smile that reminded him somewhat of Naruto's own. The person's picture seemed to have been taken without their knowledge, for they weren't looking at the camera. Instead they were looking at something directly in front of them. And they wore what seemed to be a white dress with short sleeves, a red vest with a hoodie over that, and black tights.

"A girl?" Kiba questioned, trying to piece together what he could from the picture. "You want me to get information on a girl?"

"Yes. Her name is currently unknown. And her location is only an estimate. What limited information we have on her is inside of her file. She is older and will not look the same as she does in this picture. But her more interesting attributes should still be the same." Pein explained with a nod, "Your mission is to travel to Takigakure with Itachi and Konan and bring us _useful_ information on this girl. Name, abilities, likes, dislikes, places she frequents. And if you cannot decide between what could be useful and what could not be, do not hesitate. Find _everything_ you can."

Kiba was left shocked by this. He took one glance away from the girl he was to investigate and looked up at the leader, allowing his confusion to show on his face.

"But... She couldn't be any older than me... What could you possibly need with this girl?"

The man's face was stern and emotionless as he answered, "You do not need to know more than what I have already told you, Inuzuka. Maybe once you've brought back what we need from her, I could explain to you what it is that she is needed for. But, until then, you are only to know what I have already supplied."

His voice wasn't cold or angry. But it was matter of fact and had a finality to it that told Kiba this was the end of their talk.

"You are to leave in three hours."

"Yes, sir." Kiba bowed softly at the leader's dismissal and turned around, holding onto the file in his hands just a bit tighter than what was necessary.

He had only heard of Takigakure a handful of times from the minimal clan head meetings he had accompanied his mother when he was younger. So his information on that small hidden village was that it wasn't easy to get to, nor easy to be allowed entrance into. None of the hidden villages were easy to enter if one was from a different village or country. Just how did the leader plan for them to enter such an undoubtedly well protected village?

And just why did the man want him to get information on a young girl? Sure, maybe she was older than him considering how this picture was old. But it was still odd. What interest did the man have in this girl?

With these thoughts and doubts in mind, Kiba made his way back to his room, deciding to begin to pack while there was still a comfortable amount of time left before he was to leave. Today he was supposed to have had his usual strategy lessons with Konan, but seeing how the leader had surprised him with this sudden mission, his schedule for the day had undoubtedly changed.

He would be leaving by lunch time... Which meant that Hidan would not be able to continue training... He could already hear the man's shouts of outrage when he was told that Kiba would not be able to continue his Jashinist lessons for the next few days...

When he reached his room, he expected to maybe find Kisame or Itachi inside. But he was somewhat surprised to find that instead Hiruko was there, looking over his still nameless puppet. His puppet armor had been left in the corner of the room to not obstruct the man as he worked.

"Hiruko?" His greeting was more of a question and that was because he really had not expected to find the puppeteer in his room. The man was someone who valued his privacy, after all, and so seemed to do his best to not violate anyone else's. "What are you doing here?"

The man didn't turn around as he continued to look over the joints of the puppet, but spoke up, "Please close the door, Inuzuka."

It wasn't odd for Hiruko to avoid a question so Kiba merely closed the door behind him and walked over to the man, looking over what he was doing to the puppets.

"I am making sure your puppet is prepared for your mission, Kiba." The man answered as he turned the puppet over onto its stomach, then lifted a panel in the back to show Kiba a coiled up line of metal with a sharpened end.

"I added this in case you are ever in need of a hasty get away or long ranged attack that will not be easy to detect." The puppeteer then closed the panel, moved the puppet back onto its back, and opened yet another panel in the front. Kiba had known those were there before, but they had been left vacant until now. "And this is a kunai expelling mechanism."

The kunai were embedded inside a metallic contraption inside of it, tips pointing forwards.

"With a sharp enough tug on this latch," The man continued to explain, tapping a mostly obscured latch on the hip of the puppet, "They will come flying out. The kunai have been dipped in the Hebikirā venom I synthesized. As you already know, this venom is extremely potent, its antidote-"

Kiba, suddenly feeling an urge to show Hiruko that he _had_ learned about poisons, venoms, and antidotes, cut the puppeteer off with a soft smile. "Is only effective if administered within the first ten minutes of contact or injected directly into the bloodstream above the heart. The whole body will be paralyzed and immobilized within seconds. And if not treated immediately or judiciously, the heart will stop in, at most, twelve minutes."

The man looked at him for a second with his usual blank face, then asked, "And the antidote?"

"A unique blend of various snake venoms, just like the Hebikirā venom itself, healing salves, and flower extracts. It is difficult to create, needs a complex knowledge of the Hebikirā venom itself and the science of venoms and antidotes themselves, and could possibly become a venom in itself if not created appropriately. In its early stages, it is all venom, and it needs a steady hand if you don't want to accidentally kill yourself in creating it."

Once he finished speaking, Kiba smiled broadly at Hiruko, who nodded before closing the panel and placing the puppet's cloak back over its body.

"Make sure to take all your antidotes with you along with your hydrophobic clothes. I do not wish to hear about you accidentally poisoning yourself." The man commanded, which had Kiba nodding resolutely.

"You'll see me again, Hiruko. Don't worry about it."

Kiba knew that if he was careful, he wouldn't have to worry about hurting himself. Now, completing a mission in a hidden village known for its secrecy and inaccessibility... That was another story.

Hiruko laid his puppet down on Kiba's bed with a nod of his own, then began to move to leave the room. But when he passed by Kiba, the man did something that left Kiba breathless, shocked completely. He raised his hand up to Kiba's head and ruffled his hair almost affectionately.

"Next time I'll teach you how to build a puppet from scratch so you can begin to design your own."

As quickly as the touch had come, it had left. And Hiruko was back inside his puppet armor before Kiba could truly react, throwing one last phrase out before he left the room completely. "Don't forget your hitai-ate, yeah? I left it for you on your nightstand."

He... Had not expected for the man to touch him...

What surprised him the most, though, was the fact that he hadn't flinched away from Hiruko's touch.

Dumbly, the Inuzuka moved towards the nightstand between the beds and looked down to find a brand new forehead protector waiting for him. One with Konoha's symbol on it. One with a gash right through the symbol.

* * *

Konan and Itachi were both prepared with packs on their backs by the time Kiba finished explaining to Hidan why he had missed practice and would not be able to continue learning with him until later.

The Jashinist had not been happy with learning that his sidekick was being sent on a mission without him, but, coincidentally enough, the leader was nowhere to be found when he went out to give him a piece of his mind. This had pissed Hidan off to no end, but Kakuzu had come around about mid-rant and stopped him with a swift knock out jab to the bundle of nerves inside the man's neck.

"He can be so annoying..." The earth style user had growled with a glare as Hidan's body crumpled to the floor before him before he had looked at Kiba. "Going off on a mission, then?"

Kiba had not been able to get a single word in after he had told Hidan that he was to be leaving. And aftert Kakuzu had arrived and effectively quelled Hidan's anger by knocking him out, the boy had been allowed a small breather to relax before he had to leave.

"Yeah. To Takigakure."

The man's face hadn't change at all. But Kiba was able to see his body still for a second before he nodded. And this had caught his attention immediately.

"Not a big hidden village." The man commented, then asked, "Why are you going there?"

Kiba had looked over Kakuzu after he had spoken, then really looked at the village design on his forehead protector. He had no idea from what village this man was. But... It seemed oddly familiar. Like he had seen it before when he was younger.

"To get information on a girl." Kiba had explained after a moment of scrutinizing the headband, then looked directly at Kakuzu's eyes. "The leader wants to know a few things about some girl. I guess I was chosen because I'm a kid and won't be seen as a danger."

The man had then nodded and changed the subject, telling him to remember his training to not end up dead on a mission so simple. Then, with that warning, he had told Kiba to go on his way to the front of the organization's base. But before the boy could have left, he had been stopped by the man calling out to him.

"Yeah, Kakuzu?"

"Close up your cloak all the way to the top. Your face tattoos are clear indicators of a clan. And you can't really be showing that when entering a hidden village."

Kiba had blinked at the advice, but nodded and moved his fingers to close it up until the collar of the cloak covered half of his face. And as he walked off to find Konan and as he walked, he noted how odd it was that his cloak's collar went so high. None of the other member's collars went so high, except for maybe Hidan's, but because his cloak was always open, it wasn't all that noticeable.

How had Kakuzu known how high his collar truly went? He'd never actually closed it all the way up, and so had never found this out until that moment. How had Kakuzu known about it, though?

"Are you ready, Kiba?"

Kiba's questions were interrupted by Konan's calm inquiry. Then, when he looked up, he found that both she and Itachi were looking down at him, clearly waiting for his answer.

"Uh... Yeah. Yeah, I am." He managed to make out, then tugged somewhat uncomfortably at the collar covering up half of his face.

"Trying out a new look?" She questioned as she began to walk out of the base's opening, prompting for Kiba to follow after her.

"Yeah... Kakuzu said that my tattoos are pretty clear signs of clan relation." Kiba explained as he walked, then looked at Itachi, who had begun to follow after him. "Said it was best to keep them hidden."

Itachi nodded at Kiba, "Takigakure is found crossing through the Land of Fire. If you were to be seen by anyone and recognized, it might spell trouble for our organization."

Ah... He had done this to make sure that if they somehow managed to cross paths with someone from Konoha, Kiba would not be easily recognized.

"Oh. That makes sense." Kiba commented, then looked forward as Konan jumped onto a tree to begin to run.

He followed after her without much hesitation, although running with his cloak up so high was somewhat uncomfortable.

And he hadn't even thought of the unusual weight on his forehead now that he wore his hitai-ate in proper place once more. He had gone so long without wearing one that it was an almost foreign weight on his head.

~/~

Seeing Kiba in full Akatsuki costume was an extremely bittersweet moment.

On one side, wearing the costume was a clear sign of him having been fully accepted by the Akatsuki. And this brought much contentment to Itachi's heart because it was a clear sign of the boy becoming even more accessible. No longer was he just a genin from Konoha. He was a member of their organization. And this, in some way, made Itachi see him as even more easy to grow closer to.

But, on the other side, it was a clear sign of Kiba rejecting everything he had once known, simply because of one deal. With the costume, he showed that he was no longer a shinobi from Konoha. Instead it was a sign of him being a wayward ninja.

Kiba and wayward ninja... Those words didn't make much sense together. The boy was much too pure and loyal to ever break ties with his village. And knowing that he had been the cause for this drastic change, Itachi couldn't help but feel uncomfortably guilty.

With a soft sigh, Itachi looked in front of him to see Kiba keeping pace with Konan.

He and the paper nin had come to a small agreement about their travel formation. Kiba would always be in the middle between them. Even though he had proven that he was more than capable, they still did not know what dangers they may come across as they moved. And, depending on the time of day, Itachi and Konan would be either before or behind him.

During the early hours when there was still light to see, Konan would be at the front and Itachi at the back. But when darkness fell, they were to switch and Itachi was to keep a keen eye out. For even though the woman was extremely perceptible, she did not have the same spatial awareness that Itachi did.

The woman seemed fond of Kiba. Her face softened just slightly when she spoke to him. But Itachi didn't recline on the woman's interest in him being genuinely good. She was the leader's right hand woman and had a loyalty to him in a manner that her loyalty to Kiba would never be able to compete with. And while she seemed to hold Kiba's best interest in heart at the moment, she may just as likely discard him in a second.

She may seem honest, but Itachi would not allow himself to be blinded by it. Unlike Kiba had clearly been blinded by it.

The boy looked up at her in a way that was not replicated on any of the other members of the Akatsuki. Itachi had noticed it, even though it had brought great chagrin to his heart.

He figured that it was simply because Konan was a woman and not a man. Which would make sense, considering what Kiba had lived through. But that didn't mean that it didn't bother Itachi at all.

He didn't want the Inuzuka to get hurt because of his trusting nature. Which is why, if the time should ever come, he would put Kiba's safety before his own.

He had already been selfish once. And once had been enough.

* * *

Their travels had run rather smoothly. Kiba had expected something to go wrong, like they usually went, as they made their way to Takigakure. But there had been no surprise attacks or ambushes. They had gone from small town to small town, sleeping in small hotels specifically created for travellers, and everything had been rather calm and peaceful.

He had actually enjoyed spending more time with both Konan and Itachi.

When she was able to, the woman taught him how to make intricate origami figures and how to properly apply makeup to cover his tattoos. At first, he had stuck his tongue out childishly at having to wear something so girly. But a swift thwack to his nose and stern scold from the woman had quickly made him change his tune and learn. They wouldn't be wearing their Akatsuki cloaks into Takigakure, after all. But they also couldn't take any chances with his tattoos. So he was to cover them up with makeup.

The only reason why they hadn't done so from the beginning was because of how tedious it would be to make sure the makeup stayed in place as they ran because of all of the sweat and wind that would be endangering it. But once they neared Takigakure, they would begin to walk like regular travellers and so wouldn't have to worry about those harsh conditions making the makeup fade.

And when he could, Itachi taught Kiba how to craft more complex genjutsu that would help him in case he was ever in a tight spot and in need of a quick retreat.

"Who are you?"

Kiba looked up at Itachi as he played with the much too long sleeves of his civilian attire. They ran past his hands, engulfing them completely, and he had spent the past few minutes of walking playing with them.

"Koji Ishikawa. Youngest and most mischievous of the Ishikawa siblings. I enjoy ignoring my older sister's orders, angering my older brother, eating sweets before dinner time, and running off without telling either of my siblings." Kiba recited, remembering the instructions given to him in the same file with the information on the girl he was to gather information on.

Konan nodded, looking rather odd with her hair dyed black and missing its usually present flower accessory. "And who am I?" She asked, which had Kiba rattling off more of what he had memorized.

"Noriko Ishikawa. Eldest of the three siblings. You enjoy cooking, making sure that your brothers are well cared for, and working to make sure that they have everything they need. You do not mind taking up any kind of job as long as it pays well. And you do not like it when Koji runs off without any kind of warning."

Konan nodded at Kiba's words and didn't correct him. Which made him smile because it had taken him a bit of time to remember her own profile because of how different it was to the women he had met in his life. Then he looked up Itachi, whose one skin had gone through a bit of tanning out in the sun to look similar to Kiba's own color, and smiled broadly at him.

"And you're Eiji Ishikawa, second of the three siblings. You're quiet and stern and are not afraid of disciplining the wild Koji. You appreciate your sister's sacrifices and try your best to help her out, acquiring a few jobs here and there when necessary, but are mostly in charge of keeping an eye on Koji. You enjoy peace and quiet and a good book."

The older male nodded softly at Kiba's words, then asked, "And what are we doing traveling to Takigakure?"

It was odd to see both members of the organization without their usual cloaks. They both looked plain and like regular civilians with their dully colored clothes and unassuming hairstyles, making Kiba marvel at the effectiveness of subtle changes without the need of any genjutusu to make them all look as if they truly were siblings. Itachi wore a dark kimono jacket with a red sash tied at his waist, simple black sandals, and black khaki pants. And Konan wore a light blue kimono with a skirt that fell to her knees, a dark blue belt around her waist, and slightly heeled sandals.

Their costumes were all safely tucked away inside a scroll that Konan had hidden, not allowing either Itachi or Kiba to find out what she had done with it. Which was the same thing she had done with all of their weapons.

Essentially, they were walking into a shinobi village without any weapons. And Kiba didn't know how he felt about this.

But Itachi had told him that the best way to fool someone was to be as plain and unassuming as possible, to seem like the most normal and inconspicuous person around. Which they wouldn't be able to do if they were constantly thinking of their weapons being found out.

"We're hoping to find a permanent residence and steady income after our family was killed in a raid on our small town on the outskirts of the Land of Fire." Kiba remembered, then cocked his head to the side. "What are we to do if the ninja at the gates don't believe us?"

"You don't have to worry about that. We're going to get in. There's no need to worry about that." Konan reassured, then stopped walking and looked around the trees that surrounded them.

Itachi stopped as well and Kiba looked at both of them with worry and confusion. But right when he was going to ask why they had stopped, he was hit with a male scent filled with blood, water, and minerals.

And just when he was about to ask the two if they felt anyone near them, a man with dark red hair landed in front of them, causing Kiba to immediately move into a fighting stance.

But right when he was going to jump at the intruder, Itachi's hand fell on his shoulder, making him look up. And the dark haired male shook his head, silently telling Kiba to not attack.

"Noriko, Eiji, and Koji Ishikawa?" The man asked, looking over the three in front of him.

"I am Noriko." Konan answered levelly, then motioned for Itach and Kiba. "These are my brothers, Eiji and Koji."

The man with a cloak that covered up to his neck, obscuring his whole body from sight, nodded and turned around. "I shall guide you through the underwater cave system and get you past the front gates with legal papers. You have already been authorized as Takigakure citizens by the village head. But I will keep your authorizations until we get there to make sure nothing happens to them."

Konan smiled softly with a nod, even though the man couldn't see her.

"Thank you. This means a lot to us."

The man grunted softly, beginning to walk. "I'm just repaying the debt I owed to your father."

Kiba was left completely stunned by what he heard. But Itachi soon nudged him to continue to walk, prompting the boy to do so. And, soon enough, he found himself in the same formation they had kept throughout most of their trip, Konan at the front and Itachi behind him.

He had known that infiltration missions into other hidden villages weren't easy. But the preparation that this must have asked for... It was almost unbelievable. Especially considering that a ninja from Takigakure was the one guiding them in, not some smuggler. Because to get in with legal papers allowed by the leader himself, this person must have been the real deal.


	39. Success

Takigakure was a village that took Kiba's breath away.

The way to get to it was a novelty to the young Inuzuka. When the man had said they would have to pass through an underground cave system, Kiba had expected damp darkness and stuffy smells that would leave his nose feeling abused. But it was the exact opposite. The cave system felt completely fresh, lacking humidity. It reminded him of the cave Hiruko had taken him to, the one that had helped heal his body.

But, unlike that cave, Kiba could actually see while they went through the cave system. It was a light bioluminescent glow from what he guessed were tiny organisms that called this place home, but they had lined themselves up in a way that allowed the whole stretch they went through to be lightly lit.

It was humid, though. The floor below was slick, just like the walls. And if he looked up, Kiba would find a few stalagmites that dripped dew every now and then to the floor below.

"Please, remain close to me. If you were to lose yourself in this tunnel, I am not sure if you would ever be found. Or, if you are, there is no guarantee they'll find you alive. This system of tunnels has been modified to keep invaders outside of Takigakure, after all." The gruff man informed the group of three with all seriousness. "As you could understand, not many outsiders are permitted into the village."

Kiba would have guessed that, if this place was anything like Konoha, barely _any_ outsiders were allowed to enter without express permission from the Hokage. And, apparently, they did have permission from the leader of this village.

"And as you could understand, we are extremely appreciative of what you're doing for us." Konan spoke up earnestly, walking a bit faster yet cautiously to fall into stride beside the ninja. "Although, like I explained, my youngest brother knows nothing of what happened during the attack. And I would appreciate it if you kept what happened to yourself. He does not need to be burdened with what truly happened to our father."

The woman's words caught the boy's ear immediately. But he kept his mouth shut, knowing full well that Konan would not be saying this in front of him, knowing how good his sense of hearing was, if it truly wasn't meant for him to hear.

"I understand." The man nodded solemnly, although he kept his eyes trained forward. "The truth can be a tough pill to swallow. Although, I must say, it is because of your tragic story and the boy's age that the village head allowed you to come."

Konan nodded softly, looking at the man, "What do you mean?"

The shinobi passed a hand through his short hair, shaking it softly, and said, "Well, the truth of our leader is that he's a tiny bit incompetent. He's gotten better recently and is more aware of just what kind of country he is leading. But he is not a battle hardened shinobi with a grim outlook on life. And he happens to have a rather large soft spot for anyone younger than fifteen."

The man's words were interesting, but left Kiba somewhat stunned. He sounded like he didn't fully approve of his leader's actions. But he sounded resigned to them, as if he thought there was no way of being able to change what he was saying.

"Your brother is only twelve. And from what few letters I received from your father, he was rather sheltered from the cruelty of the world. Convincing the leader to allow you citizenship in our village wasn't much too difficult when I explained the situation and your brother's experience in life."

There was something foreboding about hearing of who Kiba was supposed to be as a person. It was odd to hear of himself as someone inexperienced and unused to the evil of life. Especially considering everything he had been forced to live through in just a few months.

If this had happened before, Kiba would have been almost insulted at being forced to act as someone that was juvenile and immature. But now, it just brought him sadness and nostalgia. He could remember the days back when he truly fit the bill of a rambunctious and wild youth without any difficulty, completely genuinely. Before all of this had happened, before he had ever met Itachi, he would have been much like the true Koji Ishikawa the man was talking about. But now, he was anything but.

"We truly appreciate everything you are doing for our family, Kaiyō." Konan told him softly, then raised her voice to a level that would allow Itachi and Kiba to know that the conversation wasn't to be kept between them anymore. "We understand that you didn't have to help us. And for that we are truly thankful."

With a nod, the man, Kaiyō, chanced one look at the two males behind him. "I'm guessing Koji takes more after his mother than your father."

Itachi nodded and explained, "Noriko and I share the same mother. But she passed away. Our father remarried and Koji took on more of his mother's characteristics."

With a hum of understanding, the man looked forward once more. And after a few seconds of observing something, he announced, "We are going to be getting to the front gates in about five minutes."

~/~

Passing through the front gates was rather tedious. But not for the reason one would expect.

The female shinobi standing guard were immediately intrigued by Kiba's wild hair and feral looks and Itachi's own calm and serene ones. Which meant that Kiba was forced to live through two women cooing over how adorable he looked with the clothes that were clearly too big on him and a few cheek pinches, and also endure seeing both those women flirting with Itachi.

It had made him angry. Extremely so.

He had ended up having to remind himself that Itachi wasn't his, so he couldn't be angry about the flirting. The man was his own person and so could do whatever they want. It wasn't as if they liked each other or anything... Right?

But, Kiba had been comforted by the fact that Itachi had ignored the flirts. He'd nicely let the women down without barely even answering their advances. Then they'd told him and Kiba that, if ever they needed any kind of assistance, they could find them at the dark building by the large tree in the center of their village, which were actually the shinobi headquarters of this village.

After they had been waved through the front gates, Kaiyō took them to a small hotel a few minutes into the village.

Takigakure itself kind of reminded Kiba of Konoha. The buildings were rather similar, just like the people. It was a busy village with people bustling about their daily lives, which made Kiba think of how, in Konoha, people moved in much the same manner. The clothes were just a tiny bit different, heavier to withstand the cool mountain air, but, aside from that, they could have fit into Konoha perfectly.

It was a good change of pace. After spending weeks with the Akatsuki, only training and learning, Kiba felt refreshed by being in a place so much like his home. It wasn't Konoha, though, for there was a distinct lack of dogs that made it glaringly clear. In Konoha, one could always find at least one dog running around. Usually, they belonged to the Inuzuka clan. But sometimes they belonged to a civilian with good tastes.

"These shall be your quarters until further notice." The red haired man told them as he opened the door to the modest, one story building. "It's not lavish. But it'll be enough until you get back on your feet."

The woman at the front desk stood up from her spot with a soft smile on her face, heading over to the four of them. From what Kiba could smell, she wasn't a shinobi. There wasn't a hint of blood or metal on her. Instead, she had a scent signature that the boy was slowly beginning to understand that it was a standard smell to be found in this village.

Forest, lake, and freshness. This was an underlying scent to be found throughout this whole village. Just like every villager of Konoha shared that of forests slightly of soot. The woman, though, also had incense clinging to her body, which was most probably because of the candles she had lit around her desk.

"Kaiyō. You've come back." She smiled at the man, some of her light blonde hair falling into her face, prompting her to tuck it behind her hear.

"Like I said I would, my love." Kaiyō answered with a responding smile, moving his arms so he could envelop her in a quick but tight hug. "I barely had to travel out of the village to find your cousin's kids."

Cousin's kids? They were supposed to be distantly related to this woman? How would that work out? Did Konan and Itachi know just how closely related the people they were imagining to be truly were to this village?

"Are..." The woman, after letting go of Kaiyō, looked at all three of them. Her eyes were wide, almost disbelieving. "Are they truly Eiji's kids?"

Softly, the dark haired man nodded and led her over to them. All three of them stood in a line, Kiba in between both members of the organization. And he looked up at the woman with wide eyes, knowing full well that, in a moment like this, a kid like Koji would completely curious as to what was going on and showing it.

"His oldest son is even named after him." Kaiyō answered, then motioned to Konan. "These are Noriko, Koji, and Eiji Ishikawa. Your cousin's children."

The woman was wide eyed as she looked at all of them. Kiba could even begin to see the forming of tears in her eyes. Then, with a cry of happiness, she threw her arms around Konan, hugging her tightly.

"You look _just_ like Eiji!"

"Thank you. Our father did always call me his little clone." Konan smiled back at the woman.

And then the woman's attention turned on Itachi, which made her smile even wider. "So you're his eldest boy? He must have had high hopes for you if he gave you his same name!"

"He did, ma'am." Itachi nodded respectfully, although he allowed his face to soften and a small smile to appear. "And I hope to be able to live up to his expectations."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll make him proud." The woman's smile was honest, which made guilt begin to twist in Kiba's gut. This was wrong. They were abusing of these people's kindness. But it was for a mission. He had to put up with it to finish his job. "And this one... He doesn't look much like my cousin."

Kiba looked up at her quizzically, then smiled. "I take more after my mother." He answered, then looked at Konan and Itachi. "Guys, I'm hungry. Can I go out and get some food?"

Even though the mystery of who the Ishikawa siblings were truly intrigued Kiba, he had a job to do. And he couldn't really spend too much time trying to get comfortable if he wished to make his work as effective as possible.

He needed to find this orange eyed girl as soon as he could so he could begin befriending her. For the faster he started, the faster he would the information he needed.

"Do you promise you won't go and get sweets?" Konan questioned, which made him look back up at her with a broad smile.

"I promise!"

"Noriko, we have just gotten here. We still need to settle down and prepare ourselves for this new life." Itachi reminded Konan sternly, although he maintained a cool air about himself.

Itachi, right now, reminded Kiba of how his sister might have reacted if they had been caught in a situation like this. She would have much rather have the family stay together and be protected. Luckily, it was because of his interactions with her that he knew just how a kid like Koji would react at his plans being shot down by someone that was so serious.

"We have all our lives to get used to this place! But I only have a small window of opportunity for everything to be new and not boring!" Then Kiba smiled as brightly as he could over at Konan, " _Please_ , sis? I promise no sweets. It's not every day I'm able to go to a new place!"

Konan looked down at him with soft eyes, then sighed and nodded. "I guess it would be okay."

"Noriko!" Itachi shot a glare at the woman, only to have her wave him off.

"He's right. Eiji, we moved a lot before our father settled in the town Koji grew up in. We're used to this kind of thing. But Koji only really knew that town." Then she smiled at him, "Besides, you know how he is. He'll be interested in exploring the town for now. But he'll most probably grow bored of the novelty in a few days. We should let him have his fun for now."

Itachi looked back at her with an unamused frown. But he soon gave one single nod, although he didn't say a single thing.

Kiba took off fast, knowing that someone like Koji wouldn't stick around and run the risk of either of his siblings changing their minds.

~/~

The first thing Kiba had done was head over to the forest edges of the village. He had no idea where to begin searching for the mint green haired girl. But the picture he had been given of her had been taken in a forest. So, from his very rudimentary deduction, it wouldn't hurt to check out the outskirts of the village with lush forests all around.

Besides, it would be kind of fun to be able to run around without having Konan or Itachi telling him to be careful to not be found. Although he would have to be mindful to not scratch at his cheeks unless he wanted the makeup on them to crack and fade.

It was very liberating to be able to run around wildly like he once had. And it was pretty novel to be doing so in a place he'd never been in before. His surroundings were all new and seemed to not have been too tainted by human presence, something a bit difficult to find in most modern ninja villages. There was always some kind of human contamination factor. Either in cut down trees or rivers that were used to dump trash. But not here. This forest was as fresh and untouched as the cave Hiruko had taken him to.

As he thought on this, Kiba's running began to slow down. It wasn't the same to be running on the floor. And it felt somewhat odd. But he hadn't gone up and ran through the trees branches because he knew that a person as sheltered as Koji Ishikawa wouldn't know this type of skill. Even though he would most probably know how to climb trees the old fashioned way... He'd try and climb them later.

It was odd to be running around, exploring this brand new environment, without Akamaru. They had been together for so long, had explored so many new places together. They had been inseparable brothers. The Inuzuka clan's connection with their nin dogs was incomparable to that of any other connection Kiba had ever heard of when it came to humans. There was a level of understanding between their dogs and themselves that allowed them to always know what they were thinking. No one that wasn't from the Inuzuka clan seemed to be able to understand this level because they believed their dogs were just weapons. But that was anything but the truth.

It hurt to not have Akamaru with him anymore. It hurt to not have anyone around him that could understand him without needing to be said a single word. It hurt to not have the happy dog that brought him both calm and excitement.

But he had left Akamaru for a reason. And he still stood behind it. Akamaru deserved more than what Kiba could be able to give him. He didn't deserve to be around the darkness Kiba had willingly surrounded himself with. He deserved to be back at home with a clan that would protect him. He deserved to feel safe. So, even though it hurt, Kiba didn't regret his decision. Especially because he knew that Akamaru had been returned with the people he trusted almost as much as the dog himself, Shino and Hinata.

Running without Akamaru felt extremely weird. But he knew he had let the dog go for a reason. And this thought brought some comfort to the young Inuzuka.

The boy slowed from an energetic run to a soft trot, looking all around him with wide eyes. The trees surrounding Takigakure were _huge_. Which would make sense, considering how respectful the people here seemed to be of nature. And there was a serenity to be found among them, a feeling of peace and calm that he hadn't ever felt in the Land of Fire's own forests. The rustling of the leaves, the cool mountain air... There was just something that felt _right_.

Allowing his pace to slow to a complete stop, the boy lifted his face up to the sky and took in a large smell of the environment. He had expected to only smell a few animals and pure nature. But, among all those smells, he found one that was undeniably human. One that reminded him of Naruto, in a way.

It was coming from a few miles away. To the northeast side of the forest.

It was a long shot. To find his target on his first day of being in Takigakura was just about impossible. But Kiba had no other better leads and it wouldn't hurt to try and see if this scent belonged to the person he was supposed to find.

To get important information out of this mysterious girl, Kiba would try his best to befriend her. Luckily, the girl would be about his age. But from the extremely limited information he had one her- which was virtually none- he highly doubted it.

He would have to get into the mindset of someone like Koji Ishikawa before he met whoever it was that emitted this interesting new scent. Which meant he would need to act as hyperactive and annoying as he had once truly been. It would be odd to act so innocent, though, after everything he had gone through.

When he got to the spot he smelled the odd new scent coming from, he came upon what seemed to be a regular scene in the forest. There was nothing odd here. And there certainly were no people.

But, soon, he figured out that the smell was coming up from the tree tops, not the floor.

He heard a rustle in the trees, then a loud whoop. Finally, from a tree in front of him, he found a girl with mint green hair landing before him. Like, literally, right _in front_ of him.

Her eyes were orange. And her smile was broad. But Kiba wasn't really able to see anything else because her face was basically covering up all of his line of vision.

"Hi! My name's Fū! And I want to be your friend! Do you want to be _mine_?"

Her voice was animated and happy, her eyes as bright and trusting as someone that seemed to have no idea that strangers could be dangerous.

"I would love to be friends!" She continued, smile broad as she jumped away from Kiba for a second. Then she turned to him with a quizzical eye. "Hey... Wait a minute... Not many people wind up in these parts of the village... What are _you_ doing here?"

Something about her scent reminded Kiba of Naruto. But that certainly wasn't the only thing. The girl was hyperactive and seemed happy enough. Although she didn't seem as dense as the blonde from the way she was able to question something out of the ordinary.

"I'm new here." Kiba answered with a smile. "I wanted to explore this place because it's all so new. So your name's Fū?" He asked, then took a step forward to offer his hand. "I'm Koji Ishikawa. Pleased to meet you!"

She looked at him for a moment with complete uncertainty. And as he waited for her to take his hand, Kiba decided to look her over. She had mint green hair and orange, pupil-less eyes. She seemed to be about his age, although just a tad bit shorter than him. And she wore a white long sleeved shirt that ended just a bit above her belly button, a white skirt with a slit to its side, and short black tights. The orange clip in her hair was the same as the one in the picture given to him.

Fū looked to be the girl that he had been sent her to gather information on. And Kiba truly hoped that it was her and not someone else. Because it would be rather easy to befriend her if she proved to as friendly and open as Naruto.

It took her a second or two. But soon enough the girl grabbed Kiba's own with a hearty grip, smiling broadly. "Let's play hide and seek, Koji! You hide, I'll look for you!"

* * *

"And you know what it is you'll be doing for work, Noriko?"

Konan looked at the woman with a soft frown as she packed away her clothes into one the side of the drawer in their room she had claimed as her own.

The room was a standard one for the hotel they were staying in. Two beds, a large drawer, a nightstand between the beds, windows, and a bathroom. There was a cot set up by the side of the room already, which would be used be Itachi during the night. And both boys would be sharing their drawer space.

"I do not really know, Hoshi." The woman sighed softly, "I would not even know where to start looking for a job here. And I am somewhat worried of Eiji. He is rather rough with Koji and do not know how they will act when left alone for a day while I look for work."

The older woman smiled softly and walked over to Konan, placing her hand over her's. "There is no need to worry, Noriko. They both seem like good boys. Especially Eiji. He has a good head on his shoulders. Like his father."

"Like his father." Konan nodded, turning her hand to grab Hoshi's and squeeze it in gratitude. "You have no idea how grateful we truly are for everything you are doing. Even though our father was your cousin, you have no reason to help us. Yet you give us a shelter and promise to help us settle into our new home once we finally have the means to move out. You are a true godsend."

"Hush now, child. We are family." Hoshi shook her head, some of her hair falling in small tresses. "And for work, I know that Kaiyō wouldn't mind giving Eiji a few odd jobs around here. We could use the help, after all, considering how my husband is always off working." Then she smiled warmly at Konan. "If you think finding a job becomes too difficult, you could ask for an audience with our village head. I am sure he would not mind helping you, considering your situation."

"Oh, thank you so much, Hoshi!" Konan threw her arms around the woman, hugging her tightly. "Now I understand why father was so eager for us to meet you!"

"R-really?" The woman gasped, which had Konan nodding.

"He never said it in his letters to you. His pride was too much. But he truly wanted for us to meet his favorite cousin."

"That... That makes me incredibly happy, Noriko. Thank you." Hoshi closed her eyes and rejoiced in the hug from the other woman.

But their moment of family bonding was cut off by the sudden slamming of the room's door, making them both jump away from each other.

Konan had felt the chakra signatures nearing. She just had not expected for Kiba to enter the room so violently.

"Koji!" She gasped, eyes widening at the sight of him and his new, oddly colored friend, running into the room and dragging mud and rocks through the floor. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"Sis! I made a new friend!" Kiba smiled broadly as they both ran to stand in front of her. "Can she join us for dinner? _Please_!? Her name's Fū and she's awesome and she knows all the best hiding places in the forest!"

"The forest?" Konan questioned, quirking an eyebrow in question.

The boy smiled broadly up at her, showing no sign of remorse for having gone far from where he had been allowed to go.

"Yup! The forest!" The girl with the orange eyes answered with a broad smile. Then she turned to Kiba, "Hey, Koji, are we going to get food soon? 'Cause I wanna play some more before I have to return to my house!"

"We sure are. Noriko, I'll go find Eiji and we can go get some food. Come on Fū!" With this Kiba took off running, the girl following closely behind him.

Konan couldn't help but feel proud of the boy once he was gone. One day in Takigakure and he had already managed to find his target.

If the boy continued to be competent in his decisions, they wouldn't have to stay here too long before they had already found all the information Pein would need to be assured that Kiba knew what he was doing.


	40. Guilt

**_'Mission file: Report on Takigakure Target_ **

**_Written and revised on the second week in Takigakure_ **

_**Name of Target:** _ _Fū. No known last name._

_**Date of Birth:** Believed to be around the same time as my own. Anywhere in the birth year considering what she claims her age to be. (Same as my own)_

_**Home Location:** Isolated in the forest on the outskirts of Takigakure. A small, well kept shack with all basic necessities. Although it is not too easy to access if one does not know the correct path. There are many ways to get lost and even a few traps placed by her to ward off wild animals and would be intruders._

_**Parents:** Presumed to be deceased. Identities are unknown as of the writing of this report. _

_**Family, friends, acquaintances:** None. The target has been isolated for most of her life in the wilderness. For some reason, not many villagers are too keen on interacting with her. I believe it has something to do with the peculiarity in her scent. This is covered later on in this report._

_**Identifiable Physical Characteristics:** Mint green hair, orange, pupil less eyes, dark skin. Always wears an orange clip in her hair; right side. Favors the colors white, black, and coral for her attire._

_**Other Physical Characteristics:** Average weight and height for someone within age range. Legs and arms of average proportions. Muscular build that speaks of some kind of rigorous physical activity. Tree climbing, running, and fighting are her favorite activities of this kind._

_**Scars, beauty marks, etc.:** One easily seen scar on her left knee. From an accident when she was five and learning to climb trees; fell and scratched it. Another small, less easily seen one, on her right elbow. From another tree climbing incident. _

_**Personality traits:** Bold, friendly, hyperactive, and loud. Seeks friendship in everyone she meets and is hopeful in making friends. Unafraid of any kind of physical challenge, although mental challenges give her a bit of confusion and hesitation. Seeks to play from the rising of the sun all the way until it sets. Always seems to be hungry. Respects elders, although she does not seem to know how to control her ever active mouth. Has difficulty understanding why kids cannot spend the night running around and must sleep. Which leads me to believe she's never had much of parental guidance to tell her that hanging out at night is not correct._

**_To be filled in once more is known on the subject:_ **

_First of all, the target has an odd scent presence. Beneath the scent that can be found in most of Takigakure residents (forest, lake, freshness, dew, and incense or soot for those that work around fire), there is something different. Something that is very much akin to something I've only ever smelled two other times in life. There is no clear way to describe it other than different._

_Second of all, the target has a small cabin as a home on the outskirts of Takigakure. It is extremely secluded and there is reason to believe that she barely ever wandered out of it out of a fear of angering someone before she befriended Koji. Who that someone is has yet to be made clear for she refused to speak about him or her._

_Third of all, Fū is a sweet girl that has yet to show any signs of aggression other than on someone that kicked a kitten. On this incident, the target grabbed the offender and forced him to apologize to the kicked kitten. Afterwards, she scooped the kitten up and took her home. It is now named Neko because the target found that naming her was much too difficult. This speaks to her brash and sometimes illogical decisions and leads me to believe that, while street smart, she is not much of a thinker._

_The target trusts easily. Becoming her friend was a matter that took only minutes. But she also has a sort of sixth sense for people she can trust and those she cannot. She said that she felt like I was someone she could trust. But that Noriko gave her an odd vibe, so she doesn't really like being around her. She is not sure how she feels about Eiji because he is unlike anyone she has ever met before and gives her mixed vibes on whether she can trust him or not._

_There is also a fixed source of income that is not yet known. She has the ability to buy gifts or food for Koji, although she has yet to explain from where she gets the money. But there is reason to believe it is not too much because she enjoys eating free food or others buying things for her, rather than having to use her own money._

_Finally, her favorite food is an ice cream sandwich instead of a regular sandwich for lunch or dinner. Her least favorite is anything too bland or tasteless._

_*Note: She also now has to take care of a kitten named Neko. Beware of this animal's claws. she is **not** afraid of scratching!_

_Accounts of the (until now) thirteen meetings with the target are expanded upon in the following pages._

**_Preliminary Observations Conclusion_ **

**_Elaborated reports to be filled in on the following pages'_ **

* * *

Kiba felt really guilty as he filled in the report on Fū. And by the end of it, his hand shook slightly from how wicked he truly felt.

This girl was one of the greatest friends he had ever come to know. She was loud and proud and unafraid. In all honesty, she kind of reminded him of himself before his life had been turned upside down. She was head strong and didn't ever back down from any challenge, be it from herself, from him, or from even their environment. She didn't give up easily. And she would much rather end up with bruises and scrapes than ever say she allowed herself to give up.

After almost two whole weeks of spending time with her, Kiba had figured out why it was that her scent reminded him of Naruto. He had figured out that it also reminded him of Gaara, the bloodthirsty boy from Suna that had smelled almost as much of blood as Hidan.

The thing with scents was that everyone had a standard smell to them. One that was a mix of nature and their own biological parents. Everyone had a standard smell that was unique to them. But when someone spent a lot of time surrounded by a strong smell like metal, soot, incense, or blood, a person's unique scent would be permeated by it.

Those that smelled strongly of blood, like Kakuzu, Hidan, Gaara, and Sakon and Ukon, usually were crazed individuals that had no true respect for human life. The only people he had met until now that only smelled of blood terrified Kiba for the simple reason that they had surrounded themselves with so much blood that there was more of that smell than their original scent's own to find. To find the original scent, it took time and exposure and time to find.

In Gaara, aside from sand and blood, he'd smelled something else. But had never truly identified it with something found in others until meeting Fū and noticing how similar it was to the girl's and Naruto's own oddity. There was something _inside of them_ that made them different. Something that had caused Naruto and Fū to be ostracized their whole lives. Something that had caused Gaara to become a blood crazed murderer with no respect for human life. Something that, quite frankly, must have been powerful to be kept such a _well hidden secret._

Those whose scent was surrounded by blood, but not overtaken by it, were usually shinobi or loyal warriors. The older members of Konoha, Kakashi Sensei, and people like Konan and Itachi had blood enveloping their scents. Some more than others, like Kakashi, but usually the blood wasn't as overwhelming with the likes of Hidan or the rest. But it didn't push at the original scent. Instead, they coexisted.

Then there were people with blood merely edging at their scents, which meant that they had killed little people or avoided being too close to blood. Hiruko and the chunin around Konoha all smelled like this. But Kiba guessed that the only reason why Hiruko's scent wasn't so overwhelmed by blood was simply because of him being a puppeteer, a long raged fighter. Because from his lack of hesitation in killing, it was hard to believe that he was on the same scale of kills as the likes of Iruka Sensei.

Finally, there were those that didn't have a speck of blood to be found in their scents. Civilians and genin were the only ones that had this particularity in their scent when it came to the shinobi world. Maybe one or two lucky chunin that had never had to kill before. But he had yet to meet any jonin that didn't have even a bit of blood on their scent.

Scent didn't lie. People and emotions might lie. They were faulty and could be manipulated. But no one could manually change someone's true scent. They may be able to cover it up and hide it. But not completely. And for someone that followed his nose so faithfully as Kiba, there was almost no way that someone could keep him from catching, at least, a small whiff of their true scent.

He had once believed good people barely smelled of blood or were loyal shinobi. People that were covered in blood, though, were psychopaths and bad people.

It was truly amazing to see how much his opinion on all of this had changed in just a few short months.

"Kooooooooo-ji!"

His deep contemplation was broken when loud knocking rang out from his room's door. Itachi looked at him for a second before shaking his head, then returned to filling up his own report.

"Yeah, Fū?"

"Got breakfast?"

"Sis is out working for the village head, Fū. We have to fend for ourselves today!"

Today was the fourteenth day of being in Takigakure. From the information Kiba had been able to dig up on the girl, they may just be able to leave in a few more days. He didn't know what else the leader may want from him other than precise routines, of which he had already spoken of. Every night after he finished up hanging out with the girl, he would make a report of everything that had happened and expanded upon any routines or nuances he had found during the day. Other than that and what he had already covered in the first page of the report, he didn't know what else the man could possibly want.

The disgust he felt within himself as he wrote was something unlike anything he had ever felt before. Disgust at other people was one thing. Guilt at one's self was another. But this... This feeling of disappointment with what one was willingly doing... It _sucked_. It ate away at him in a way that he'd never experienced before. And he didn't know how he could possibly cope with it.

 _Especially_ because Fū was such a happy and energetic girl. One that had begun to trust him, literally, on the _first day_ she met him. She didn't deserve to know someone as despicable as _him_.

"We're going to die then, Koji! We can't cook!"

Getting up from his bed, Kiba breathed in and prepared himself mentally for his hyperactive act. From the corner of his eye, he saw Itachi smirk over at him. But he didn't pay much attention to that. Instead he grabbed his papers, handed them over to the man, and went over to the door. He waited a moment to hear Itachi rustle the papers in his hands, then open one of the drawers and close it. Finally, when the man had finished putting all the papers away, he opened the door with wide eyes and a broad smile.

"Fū! Don't worry! We can go out and buy some cupcakes!"

This made the girl's eyes widen in surprise and happiness, but she looked down at Kiba and smirked. "Ji Ji, are you wearing the pajamas I bought you?"

Looking down at himself, Kiba smiled broadly back at her. He had told her that he loved dogs. So she had gone out and bought him a long sleeve, brown and black pajama set with a large hood that looked as if a dog was eating his head. Complete with floppy ears and shaggy tail.

"Sure am! Now, I get dressed, we get cupcakes. Sound good?"

With fast nods, the girl began to bounce on the balls of her feet. But soon a large hand fell over Kiba's shoulder, causing her bouncing to stop and her eyes to focus on Itachi.

"Not good. Koji, sweets are not breakfast." Itachi scolded, then directed his words to the girl. "And Fū, I had hopes that you would not succumb to my brother's bad influence."

"But Eiji!" Both of them chorused immediately without any hesitation.

"No buts." Then Itachi raised his other hand, placed it on Kiba's other shoulder, and pulled him back into the room. "Get dressed. I'll go out with you and make sure you're not eating things you're not supposed to be eating."

The Inuzuka allowed himself to be pulled into the room by the older male, then moved to the large dresser and pulled out some clothes to wear. He heard Fū enter behind him, although a bit slowly, then turned around to both of them.

"Fine, big bro. If you insist on wasting your morning following us kids around." He shrugged dramatically, then began to walk towards the bathroom in the room. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

Itachi couldn't help but think that, from how Kiba acted so normally like a rambunctious and care free boy, that _this_ must have been how he once acted before he had been brutalized by that group of mercenaries. And thinking about how happy the boy had once been made the man hate the bastards that had hurt him even more.

He and Fū proved to make fast friends. They had similar interests and energy levels. And they were both rather eager to explore everything with one another.

Even though Kiba was clearly trying to separate himself from his duty and his feelings, and was doing a pretty good job of it, Itachi could tell that the boy truly enjoyed being with the young girl. There was a light in his eyes that Itachi had never seen before shining whenever Fū was around. And it was sad to know that Kiba would undoubtedly be tearing himself apart over this friendship as well.

Itachi knew the boy well enough to know that the guilt of gathering information on her was getting to him.

And it hurt the Uchiha to not be able to do anything while on their mission.

"You know... Your brother's pretty cute..."

He had been leading both kids to a bakery near their lodging when he heard Fū whisper over to Kiba. And when he chanced a look back at the boy, their eyes met, causing Kiba's face to redden. It was _adorable_.

"I-I-I'm cuter!" The boy stuttered back, clearly flustered.

The smirk that came onto Itachi's face couldn't be helped. The Inuzuka was trying his best to react like Koji Ishikawa would- which would most probably have been to shout out that he was better looking- but was struggling with something else. And Itachi found a small part of himself hoping that this was because he agreed with Fū but couldn't bring himself to admit it.

"As cute as a button!" Fū ruffled Kiba's hair with a broad smile, "You know, you're getting kind of shaggy. Soon you're going to need a hair clip like mine to keep your hair from getting in your eyes!" She chuckled at the idea, then looked forward, eyes widening when she caught sight of where it was that Itachi had been leading them. "Yes! Bakery! That means breakfast _and_ sweets!" She cheered, throwing a fist into the air with an animated jump. "Eiji, you're awesome!"

"Thank you, Fū." He smiled softly, then they continued walking towards the small shop for food.

When they got to the door, he held it open, allowing both kids to pass in before him. Then he stepped into the shop, a small smile playing on his lips as he followed the kids towards the front desk to order their food.

~/~

Once they had ordered and had their food in hand, Itachi followed both kids towards a booth in the bakery to be able to eat. Fū was ecstatic over the fact that Koji's brother had been nice enough to buy food for them all, all the while Kiba was just trying to nab food away from her plate.

It worked out for him four out of ten times. The other six wound up with the girl smacking his hand away with a hiss and a glare.

"Koji, don't be rude." He resisted the urge to smile at the kid's antics and instead frowned at them, "It is not nice to steal food from others."

With a pout and a glare, Kiba began to eat. And Itachi would be lying if he said that Kiba didn't look cute with that pout.

As they ate with Fū and Kiba throwing banter and a bit of food at each other, Itachi sensed a rather strong chakra signature heading their way. Immediately he wondered what a trained shinobi like that could be doing in the civilian side of the village during working hours, but he didn't show any signs of having noticed this person.

Then the person entered their bakery and began to head their way.

Sparing a glance to Kiba, he found the boy looking back with worry. But the Uchiha merely shook his head softly, wordlessly telling the boy to not do anything rash. And from the determined understanding that came into the boy's eyes, he knew that the Inuzuka would stay put.

"Fū. The village head is looking for you."

A black haired male with a trimmed beard walked up to their booth with a stern look on his face, looking only at the young girl.

Fū's eyes widened slightly when she saw the man, then she asked, "What's up, old man? Why would Shibuki want to meet with me so early in the morning?"

Itachi looked at the man and noticed that he didn't have his hitai-ate visible on any part of his body. Just like Kaiyō and the women they had encountered at the front gates. Was it a custom for these ninja to not have it visible while in their home although they wore it with pride while outside of the village? It would be an odd custom. But not too farfetched for shinobi. They were all odd, after all.

"Please, just come with me, Fū. It is urgent you come right this instant."

The urgency in the man's voice alerted Itachi of something being amiss. But he merely looked at the girl and nodded. "You should listen to him, Fū. You know where to find us after you've finished up with your meeting." Then he motioned to her food, "Just ask the nice lady at the front to wrap that up for you to take with you."

The orange haired girl looked back at him with worry. But she soon nodded with slight hesitation, stood up and grabbed her food.

"See you later, Koji. Thanks for the food, Eiji."

"See ya, Fū." Kiba waved softly in goodbye, then they both watched as the girl walked away with the male shinobi.

It was odd. And Itachi had a bad feeling about it. But when Kiba looked at him, clearly wanting to speak of it, he merely shook his head and said, "So, Koji, now that you have a few hours to spare your brother, would you like to do anything together?"

One of the things Konan and he had both warned the boy about was to not discuss anything that might incriminate them in the open. If he wished to speak of something that might make them seem like they may have something to hide, they would have to wait until they were back in their hotel room and away from prying eyes and ears.

"Sure... But..." Kiba shrugged, then a tired smile found its way onto his lips. "Actually... Do you think we can just go back home and rest up?"

"Sure thing, Koji." Itachi nodded, albeit a bit worried about the sheer tiredness in his voice. "Finish up your food then we can head back."

* * *

When they got back to their room, Kiba threw himself on Itachi's bed and closed his eyes, breathing in the comforting smell that was purely Itachi.

He knew that the older male was going through a flurry of hand signs to make a barrier of silence around the room and decided to just allow himself a few seconds of silence before he said anything.

Itachi was so calm and collected about this whole gathering information thing. He didn't seem the least bit affected by having to trick and lie to a whole village of people. He didn't seem to be worried at all about playing with a girl as nice as Fū's feelings. He seemed completely okay and used to everything that they were doing.

But Kiba _wasn't_. And it was _destroying_ him.

"Kiba."

Itachi must have finished setting up the barrier if he was using his real name.

It was refreshing to finally hear his name again. He had gotten so accustomed to being called Koji... It felt nice to be reminded that he _wasn't_ a carefree little idiot. It was reassuring to be reminded that he hadn't lost his mind and he _wasn't_ Koji Ishikawa. It was nice to be reminded that he had a reason to be somewhat cynical and terrified of the real world.

"Yeah?" He asked, although he didn't get up from the bed. Instead the Inuzuka merely curled in on himself, grabbing Itachi's pillow to hug it tightly to himself.

It didn't feel _right_ to be doing this. Fū was such a good person! What could the organization possibly want with her? Did they want to hurt her? Protect her? Keep her under surveillance because she was truly a danger to the world? What could they _want_?

"Missions like these are never easy."

The bed creaked under Itachi's body as he sat himself behind Kiba. Then the boy felt a large hand begin to rub warm, soothing circles into his back. The gesture was much appreciated for the boy leaned into the touch and allowed himself to just think on how good it felt for Itachi to be comforting him. How good it felt to have a person he trusted touch him again. Show him physical, not just verbal, comfort.

"They make one question everything they are doing. _What_ they are doing it for. Why they even bother." The man's voice was smooth and his hand firm.

Kiba began to feel himself being enveloped by safety only Itachi seemed able to provide. It was amazing how much this man could comfort Kiba with curt and simple, yet clearly heavy words.

"But, I assure you, there is a reason for this. One that will make sense once the leader explains it to both of us."

The boy's ears perked up at his last statement immediately.

Turning around with his hands still grasping tightly onto his pillow, Kiba looked up at the man with a cocked eyebrow. "Us?" He questioned, "You mean you don't know why we're supposed to get information on Fū either?"

With a shake of his head, Itachi moved so he was sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed. And Kiba felt the urge to curl into him but stopped himself from doing so. Even though he rejoiced in physical touch, he wasn't sure if the man did. So, instead he just rolled onto his stomach to look up at the older male.

"Not at all. You see, as a member of the organization, I am not supposed to question the leader's motives. I have to believe that he knows what is best for our organization." Then he smiled softly at Kiba, "I am sure there is a reason for this. And a perfectly reasonable one at that."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Kiba smiled softly at Itachi, then sat himself on his knees. "Itachi... You know just what to say all the time... _Thank you_."

Itachi was incredibly smart. And he was so understanding of _everything_.

How Kiba had been lucky to end up in the graces of a man like this was beyond him.

But... He was beginning to feel more than just friendship and gratefulness to Itachi. And he had no idea how to react to these feelings. He had known they had been bubbling up inside of him for some time now... But he had been able to ignore them because of all the danger he had been back in the organization's base. Now that he was with Itachi for hours on end at night, without many interruptions... Well...

With these thoughts, Kiba looked away from Itachi and over to his hands.

Fū was wrong. Itachi wasn't just cute. He was _extremely_ handsome.

And Kiba wasn't sure if he was supposed to be thinking this way about the older male...

Besides, there was no way Itachi would ever feel the same way Kiba did. At least, not for _him_. He was older. More mature...

_Less broken._

"You know, Kiba... I looked over your report when Fū came into the room."

Itachi really knew how to grab his attention. Even though his thoughts were heavy, Kiba was intrigued. So he looked up at the older male with question clear in his eyes once more.

"And?" He prodded, actually wondering what the other might say about what he had written.

He'd never written a formal report on information gathering on a mission like this before. He'd never even a formal report on _any_ of their missions. That was always Shino or Hinata. He'd never written anything because he'd never wanted to. Something he truly regretted now that he had to give professional retellings of what had happened on his missions.

"And I believe the leader will be quite proud with what you have written."

It brought great joy to hear this. Especially when Itachi added, "And he'll be rather intrigued to know that her favorite food may just coincide with his own tastes."

"So the leader actually enjoys human things like _food_?" Kiba smiled broadly at the idea of such a stern and serious man liking the same sweets as Fū, then chuckled at the hilarious mental image.

As he chuckled, he felt a hand find its way into his hair. With a soft gasp, he immediately opened his eyes, only to find that Itachi was smiling down at him, his hand softly raking through his wild hair.

"There's that smile I wanted to see."

The blush that creeped onto Kiba's face was pure and unrestrained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it! And I hope you will be happy to know that the next chapter will be a Christmas related chapter! The season is upon us and Kiba will be feeling some Christmas magic before this story ends!


	41. Christmas with the Organization

When Konan got back to their room, she found that both Kiba and Itachi were sleeping peacefully on Itachi's bed.

The woman smiled softly at the sight of the young boy sleeping comfortably, looking as content and relaxed as he truly deserved to be.

"Kiba. Itachi. Wake up. I've got some news for both of you." She called softly as she walked over to both males on the bed, shaking Kiba softly.

The boy awoke in a slight daze, blinking up at her in confusion. "Nori... Konan? What's going on?"

"I've got some news that might make you happy." She informed the boy softly, seeing how Itachi was still asleep. "We'll be able to return to the base now. Our mission is complete."

The Inuzuka's eyes widened and all sleepiness disappeared from his face, which didn't surprise Konan. She expected that reaction. What she didn't expect, though, was the disappoint in his voice when he spoke next.

"What... What do you mean? We're leaving Fū?"

Konan took a second to notice how truly devastated the boy looked, then nodded. "Our mission was to gather information on her. And after two weeks and from what Itachi and I have been able to gather, aside from the invaluable information you undoubtedly found, we should have all that the leader was looking for. There are no other reasons to stay here, Kiba."

Kiba tried to keep his composure. He truly did. But there was no way that Konan could have missed the utter disappointment that took over his features.

She expected this, honestly. But expecting something doesn't mean being utterly prepared to face it. Kiba was a boy that wore his heart on his sleeve. Even with everything that had happened to him, he still showed trust in others. And it hurt to see him so devastated and saddened by having to leave his new friend behind. But he would also need to learn that this was the reality of their organization. He was a fully fledged part of it, after all. And to continue in this position, there would be sacrifices he would have to make.

"You knew this was to happen."

The boy's eyes didn't meet hers after she said this. He knew that she was right, undoubtedly. And she was sure that he wouldn't put up any fight when it came to leaving. But the guilt and discomfort clear on his features were enough to make the woman feel guilty herself.

This boy was just a victim of unfortunate circumstances. He tried his best to build himself up, but it seemed that he couldn't force himself to keep the strength he managed to find. He broke himself down too easily. And it seemed as if he wasn't aware of just how truly special and deserving of a person he was.

"Should... Should I begin packing up?"

Konan was about to answer that, yes, he should, when hurried knocks interrupted her.

"Koji! Open up! _Please!_ "

The shouts from the girl on the other side of the door were desperate and clearly agitated. And Kiba's face immediately changed from one of guilt to one of worry.

In a move that Konan did not expect, for she had grown accustomed to the boy asking for permission before doing anything, the boy jumped out of his bed, jostling Itachi into waking up, and threw the door open.

"What's wrong, Fū?"

The girl's orange irises were surrounded by red and her cheeks were stained by tears. Her clothes were in disarray and there was a small tear at the hem of her skirt.

"Shibuki doesn't want me to keep being your friend!" The green haired girl shouted as soon as her eyes fell on Kiba, throwing herself around him in a tight hug. "He says that you're not to be trusted and that you're dangerous!"

Kiba hugged the girl back just as tightly. And from the way his shoulders were squared, Konan believed that he had some kind of plan forming about how he was to deal with his friend.

"I know..." He began slowly, then breathed out and allowed his head to fall against her shoulder. "Noriko already informed me. We're to leave the village, Fū. Our citizenship has been revoked and we're supposed to leave before nightfall tomorrow."

"No..." She grabbed him tightly by the shoulders and forced him to look her in the eyes, her own wide and fearful. "You can't go! You're my friend!"

"I don't want to go either. But your leader has spoken." Kiba shook his head solemnly, then brought the girl back into a tight hug.

Konan knew that he was trying to stay strong. But he had grown too close to the girl. She should have stopped their relationship from becoming so close. The leader would not be happy to hear how attached the Inuzuka had become so quickly.

"Then I'll go with you!" Fū shouted desperately, hands gripping Kiba's back tightly. "If the village doesn't want you, then I don't want the village! You're the only friend I've ever had, Koji... You can't leave me!"

From the corner of her eye, Konan could see Itachi rise from the bed and move towards both kids. She knew that he hadn't heard her when she had told Kiba they would be leaving. He had only seemed to begin to wake up when Kiba had jumped out of the bed. But Itachi was smart and he could piece what was happening together just from what the kids had been saying.

"You know that is not possible, Fū." The male sighed softly as he placed a hand on both of the kid's shoulders. "You are of this village. We cannot take you away from it."

"But I don't want to live in a village that would make me lose my only friend!"

Kiba's arms tightened around Fū as tears streamed down both of their cheeks. Itachi breathed in deeply, frown troubled.

"You can accompany us to the village's front gates when we leave. But you can't leave. This is your home."

Both kids devolved into loud sobs immediately.

* * *

He should have been prepared to part. Kiba had known that. But it had been difficult to _not_ grow so close to Fū. She was his age and didn't know of his dark past. She treated him like a regular human being and like a close friend.

It wasn't fair.

With a soft sigh, Kiba worked on keeping pace with Itachi and Konan.

They had been escorted out of the village by Kaiyō and the two female ninja that had greeted them at the front gates when they had first come to the village. Fū had accompanied them as far as she was allowed to go, and even tried to go with them through the underground system, but had been forbidden by the village leader and so the shinobi with them had not allowed her to go.

As their final goodbyes, they had exchanged heartfelt mementos and promises to exchange correspondence as often as possible.

While they had trekked down the village streets with him and Fū in uncharacteristic silence, a shop had caught his eye. And before he could have been stopped, the boy had run up to it and marveled at the necklace thats had seemed to call to him. They were part of a set, two necklaces that were made for each other. Both had thick, brown chords with slick, circled charms tied to them. One was black with the symbols of friendship in white, while the other was white with the symbols were in black. Beneath them was a placard that read _'Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in times of happiness.'_ and had the price for the necklaces.

"I would like to buy this."

Fū had walked up to him just as he exchanged his money for the necklaces.

"Koji, what are you doing?"

But the boy had said nothing. Instead he had grabbed the one with the white background and black symbols, placed it over the girl's head, and given her the placard to read. As she did so, he took the one with the black background and white symbols and pulled it over his own head and settled it against his chest.

"You'll always be near my heart, Fū."

She had thrown her arms around him and refused to let him go when the shinobi came to make them move.

And once they had reached the front gates and Fū had been forced to stay put, the girl had wrapped him up in one final hug. And when they had pulled away, she unclasped her orange hair clip from her hair and placed it on Kiba's own, pulling back some of the strands that fell over his face.

"You can give it back when we meet again."

Then they were separated.

After his final goodbye with Fū, Kiba hadn't said anything. Once they had reached the entrance of the cave system, Kaiyō had apologized to them and told them that he had truly wished to make a real family with them. But the leader's orders were final and couldn't be contested. But if ever they needed help, he was willing to do everything in his power to help them.

Then the three members of the organization had walked away, taking a different road from the one they had first come through. For appearance's sake, after all. They couldn't come back from where they had come, seeing how there was nothing for them there. Now the Ishikawa siblings were off looking for a new life.

Once they had been far enough away from the village, they had begun to travel through the trees at top speed.

None of them said anything. Instead they just fell into a heavy silence that made Kiba feel as if he were about to suffocate.

It was beginning to feel like he couldn't have anything good in his life. He had found Akamaru, just to lose him. Then he had found Fū, but, just like Akamaru, had been forced to leave her.

Would he be forced to leave Itachi as well?

Was there even any reason to hope anymore?

* * *

They reached the base after a few days of traveling. Those days were spent in mostly silence, seeing how Kiba wasn't feeling up to saying much while both Itachi and Konan were people that weren't too prone to speaking.

There were moments in which Kiba had been left alone by both Itachi and Konan, moments which he dreaded and hated. Whenever they left, so did the boy's distraction methods. So he was forced to face his dark thoughts, all of which made him see how much of a truly despicable person he was. And he hated having to face the truths of his life.

But he had somehow survived. And now that they were at the front of the organization's base, all Kiba truly wanted was to peel off his uniform, bathe, and spend an eternity knocked out.

"Kiba! My minion! Fuck, have I missed you!"

When he heard Hidan's shout, Kiba couldn't help the small frown that came onto his face. He wasn't even surprised to hear the mad man shouting for him. He was just slightly irritated at his hopes for a quiet afternoon being dashed away.

When they walked into the base, Kiba had expected everything to be the same. But he was wrong. There were small Christmas decorations placed on the walls, making subtle changes to what once was a rather dull scenery. And Hidan's scythe had a large bow tied to its blade, reminiscent of a present.

"Uh... What's going on?" Kiba murmured as the rest of the members of the organization began to walk into the room, even though they all looked the same way they had when he had left.

"It's Christmas!" Hidan shouted excitedly, then rushed up to him and enveloped him in a broad hug. "It's Christmas, you little shit! And I have the best present for you! And I know what I want you to give me!"

He was spun around by the Jashinist for a while before he was set down on the floor once more, then, when he looked at the rest of the members of the organization, he found that they were all looking at him.

"No. Seriously. What's going on?" The boy pressed, doubting that Hidan was telling the truth.

The man was insane. He couldn't be trusted.

"For once, Hidan isn't wrong."

Konan moved so she was standing beside Kiba, offering him a small smile. "It's your first Christmas with the organization. We thought you would want to spend some time with all of us celebrating before we were all separated once more by our separate missions."

All Kiba could do was look at her in shock.

Christmas. _Already_?

But... Summer had only been ending when he had gone on that damned mission.

Had so much time truly passed?

"You... Are you sure you're all alright?"

He couldn't believe this. Not from a group of people so serious and severe as the members of this organization. They couldn't seriously be thinking about celebrating Christmas just because _he_ was around. Right?

The leader stepped forward and nodded. "We are sure, pup. Now, why don't you go ahead and give yourself a bath to relax? You can hand in your mission report later on tonight."

The leader was being nice. _Hidan_ was being nice.

Just what in the world were these guys truly up to?

"O-okay." The boy nodded shakily as he adjusted the pack on his shoulder, then began to move towards the area of the bathroom.

Christmas with the organization. He truly had no idea if they were being honest, or if there was something else hidden by them being nice.

~/~

"Told you jackasses he wouldn't be up for it."

"Hidan, do you even know how to keep your mouth shut?"

"Shut up, Shark Breath! I'm the only that even _tried_ to sell him on this Christmas bullshit!"

"You two are being idiotic. Kiba will go along with anything the organization asks of him. Even what he doesn't understand."

"No one asked for your opinion, puppet fucker!"

Itachi didn't know just how much time Kisame and Hidan spent together while he was gone, but he was somewhat worried by his partner having shouted the same thing with the Jashinist at the same moment.

"Kiba needs to be coddled." Konan interrupted the shouting match between the men, "He was afforded a distraction when he needed it. But we can't keep distracting him with practice and fighting. And to keep his loyalty where it needs to be, with the Akatsuki, he will need to see us as a family unit. The Inuzuka Clan prides itself on close family connections, after all. They thrive on it."

Itachi didn't like how she was using the information gained on the Inuzuka Clan to manipulate Kiba, but he couldn't really stop her. He wanted Kiba to stay with _him_. And while he was in the Akatsuki, Kiba would also be forced to stay with _them_.

It wasn't as if he could leave this organization. His mission had yet to be completed. And until he was finished with it, he wouldn't be able to leave it.

"If you believe this is the way to keep him loyal to us, then I am prepared to help." Pein voiced his own opinion with an unreadable expression on his face. "But you better not expect me to actively coddle him."

"There is no need for that." Konan answered easily, "As long as you seem even the least bit interested in his feelings and growth, he will believe you care. And that is all you truly need for Kiba to trust you."

Konan was speaking from personal experience. There was no doubt in Itachi's mind about it. The woman had made Kiba think she truly cared about him to make him trust her, see her as someone he could believe in. And now she was using these same tactics to keep his allegiance where she wanted it.

"Just what Christmas activity do you want us to do with the kid?" Deidara interrupted, making the woman turn to him. "Hiruko and I've got a mission in two days and we've got to start preparing for that."

Kakuzu grunted in agreement, "Hidan and I have a bounty we have to start tracking down. And seeing how you have plans for the Inuzuka, we won't be able to use his nose in our favor again."

"A simple gift exchange."

All of the men looked at Konan in confusion and doubt, which made her sigh with a shake of her head.

"Men..." She muttered to herself, before elaborating. "I sent Zetsu off to buy a few trinkets that Kiba might like. He should be returning in an hour or so. You are to decide which gift you'd like to give the boy, then wrap it. While you do that, I'll be keeping him busy by baking with him. Then, once we've finished making the treats, we are all to get together by the Christmas tree and you are to give your gifts to him."

"Zetsu? Buying presents?" Pein questioned, which made the woman nod. "Does that seem even mildly safe, Konan?"

"Well I couldn't leave any of you to buy the gifts." Konan deadpanned, "Kisame would have undoubtedly bought only half before growing frustrated and quitting, Deidara would have tried to give him only clay figurines, Kakuzu would have refused to waste any money, Hiruko would have not even tried to buy anything, and Hidan would have bought him only Jashinist trinkets. Itachi and I were busy. By elimination, Zetsu was the only possible candidate."

"I'm insulted! Lord Jashin is a good influence in Kiba's life!"

"No one cares about your feelings, princess."

"That's it, Shark Breath! You and I! One on one! Let's go at it if you think you're so strong!"

With a roll of her eyes, Konan turned her back on the men and began to walk in the same direction Kiba had left in. "I will tell Kiba of what is to happen today. Please, do not break any of the decorations."

* * *

After he had bathed and changed clothes, Kiba found himself in the kitchen with Konan. The woman was moving from one place to another, grabbing the ingredients they would need for the peanut butter cookies she had decided to make.

He was still at a loss.

Christmas with the organization.

Just how had time gone by so fast? It was as if he could still remember Christmas with his mother and sister, which was spent bothering the women as they made peanut butter cookies that were safe for all of their household to eat. And he could still remember the new set of kunai his sister had given him, a set he had lost because of the camp of monsters.

"I hope you do not mind this recipe." Konan murmured with a small smile, "I asked Hoshi for it while we were still back in Takigakure. She was more than willing to give it when I explained that it was Koji's favorite kind of cookie."

Hoshi. Koji. Both names Kiba would much rather forget.

But Kiba had to admit that hew was kind of surprised by Konan's thoughtfulness in asking the woman for something for _him._

She kind of reminded him of his sister, in an odd way. She seemed to truly care for him, even though she didn't explicitly say it with words. No, she was more the kind to show how much she truly cared with actions rather than with words.

"No... I don't mind." Kiba answered, "Thank you. I've missed this kind of cookie for a long time."

Even though he had gotten sweets while in Takigakure, they had not sold peanut butter cookies. Which didn't really surprise him, because from what he could see, there was no real need for the stuff over there. Although it was big in Konoha because of the large chunk the Inuzuka Clan made up when it came to their population.

They both fell into silence after that, one that was only really broken when Konan gave him an instruction as to what to do to work on the recipe.

It was nice to work with the woman. She was calm and in control. Unlike his mother and sister, who would have the kitchen looking as if a storm had just passed through it, Konan kept the kitchen tidy and clean. And when they were done with the first batch of cookies, she didn't smack Kiba's hand when he made to grab at one. She merely warned him that the cookie was hot. But she didn't actively stop him.

When they were done with the four dozen batches the recipe made, Kona set the coolest cookies on a plate and handed them to Kiba.

"There is a surprise waiting out there for you. I'll be out in a minute or so with refreshments."

 _Another_ surprise?

Just what were these people up to?

But Kiba still walked out of the kitchen with the plate of cookies, only to be met with Hidan's broadly smiling face.

"Come on, sidekick. One last surprise before we've got to go our separate ways, yeah?"

Hidan herded him into the living room, where he found that the rest of the members of the Akatsuki were waiting, a Christmas tree standing in the middle of the room with an appropriate amount of decorations. It wasn't overly decorated, like the ones Kiba was used to. But it wasn't sparsely decorated, either. It was just enough.

Blinking at all of the men that looked at him, Kiba raised his arms slightly, "Cookies?"

"Get over here, kid." Kisame commanded immediately, which made the boy move towards him and offer the cookies.

The shark nin took the plate from him, replacing it with a crudely wrapped present, then grunted, "Merry Christmas or something..."

Kiba blinked down at the gift in his hands in stupefaction, then up at Kisame. But the blue skinned man merely waved him off, beginning to chomp down on one of the cookies.

"You usually open those things, kid." He grunted over a mouthful of cookie, which made Kiba nod.

"I know..." He mumbled, analyzing the gift in his hands. "But... Kisame, are you feeling alright?"

"Just open the damn gift so I can give you mine, sidekick!"

Frowning softly at Hidan's excited shout, Kiba did as told and unwrapped the gift.

A set of brand new, extremely sharpened kunai looked back at him.

"Whoah... Thank you, Kisame." The boy smiled at the man, who merely grunted and ate another cookie.

Then Hidan's hands thrust a gift that only had a bow set on top. The Jashinist religion's second book, _Kizutsukeru_ , the one that came after _Itami._ Hidan was beaming proudly as he said, "Now you can continue learning, even while on a mission!" Then he pulled a pendant out of his pocket, giving it to Kiba as well. "This was my second set of prayer beads. Keep 'em close to your heart so Lord Jashin knows who to protect at all times."

The gift was thoughtful. Even for someone as mad as Hidan. _Especially_ for someone as insane as him.

"Inuzuka."

Kiba's attention was grabbed by the leader, then he walked over to the man when he motioned for him. Then the man handed him a pristinely wrapped box. The man didn't say a single thing as Kiba unwrapped the gift, nor did he explain himself when Kiba pulled out a set of scrolls, along with a pair of brushes and vial of black ink.

"Thank you?"

The boy was at a loss when it came to the gift. But then Hiruko was beckoning for him and his attention was caught by the puppeteer.

The man hadn't bothered with wrapping his gift, not even with a bow, like Hidan. But Kiba could feel himself smile broadly at the sight of it, knowing rather well what the man was giving him.

"Are you sure I'm ready for this, Hiruko?" The boy questioned as he took the scrolls offered, while the man merely grunted.

"It was about time you learned to combine ninjutsu with your puppet."

He still hadn't named the puppet. He still hadn't found the right name for it. But Kiba knew that, with this gift, the puppet's usefulness in battle would be heightened and he would need to find a name to give it the credit it truly deserved.

Kakuzu then walked up to him with a simple grunt, dropping a simply wrapped box in his hands before he walked towards Kisame to pick up one of the cookies. And when Kiba opened it, the boy found a gift as simple as Kakuzu himself. A small book that dealt with different types of earth release jutsu that were easy to learn and use.

Finally, Deidara stepped forward with two small boxes in his hands. And when Kiba opened them, he was left stunned. One was a clay figurine of a wolf with bared teeth and a dangerous glint in his eyes. The other was of a simple puppy with wide green eyes.

"I hope you like them. They weren't easy to make."

"Like?" Kiba parroted, then smiled broadly up at the man. "I love them, Deidara! Thank you!"

"Good." The blonde smirked as he made to grab a cookie, only to find that they had all been eaten. "Really, guys? I wanted a cookie too!"

"Don't worry, Deidara. I brought the rest." Konan suddenly spoke up as she walked in from the kitchen, a tray filled with cookies and glasses of milk in her hands.

The man smiled softly at her and grabbed at a cookie, all the while the rest of the men grabbed glasses of milk. Once she had placed the tray on the coffee table by the couch, the woman smiled down at Kiba and grabbed something from inside one of the drawers of the table.

"Merry Christmas, Kiba." She handed him a brand new set of sharpened shuriken, an origami flower placed at the top as a bow.

"Thank you..."

Kiba couldn't really believe what was going on. Had he actually received so many thoughtful gifts from the members of this organization?

"You should take today to relax, boy." Pein spoke up from his spot on the couch, "I have a new mission prepared for you. And this one will not be as easy as the other two."

The other two had been simple? Clearly, the man had a very different definition for the word.

But the boy still nodded, then looked up when Itachi ghosted into the room.

"Kiba. Come with me."

"What?! No way! He's supposed to be spending Christmas with all of us!"

"You have a very odd interest in Kiba. Do you want to fuck him or something, Hidan?"

Kiba flinched at Kisame's crude words, mind immediately going to a dark place. Hidan glared spitefully at the shark nin, "Take that back, you fucker!"

Kiba stood up and followed after Itachi before Hidan could jump on the blue skinned man.

Itachi led him to the room they shared, and once they were both inside, the man closed the door softly.

"Kiba. I want to give you a gift. But... I must ask... Do you trust me?"

Blinking at the man, Kiba nodded softly. "Of course I do." The boy murmured. "Why wouldn't I?"

Then Itachi did something that completely shocked the boy. He stepped into Kiba's personal space and raised his hands to cup either side of his face. But instead of Kiba flinching like he would have done if anyone else had done this, the boy's heart just began to speed up. Itachi's face looked somehow different. It wasn't in its usual stoic pose. Nor was he smiling. It was odd.

"Kiba. Would you mind it if I kissed you?"


	42. First Kiss and a New Mission

"You were out of line, shark breath."

Kisame spared a one eyed glance at Hidan before frowning and huffing in irritation.

He knew that his words had hurt Kiba. Asking Hidan if he wanted to fuck the boy was cruel and completely unnecessary. And the way the boy's face had dropped and his eyes had misted over with pain had just about left Kisame regretting ever having decided to distance himself from the Inuzuka.

No matter how much he had tried to tell himself, Kisame had grown to truly care and worry for the Inuzuka. But he couldn't allow his personal feelings to get in the way of his reasoning, like Itachi had allowed.

The Akatsuki were going to take advantage of the boy's skills like they did with the rest of the members. It wasn't out of cruelty or inhuman. It was just the way this organization worked.

If one had skills, they would be used. That was an undeniable fact. It was just the way things worked around here.

But the fact that they were making Kiba feel like he was part of something bigger, as if they truly cared for him... It felt so unneeded to him.

The kid was trusting and vulnerable. And even though Kisame and Itachi both did care for him, the shark nin didn't really know what the rest of the organization truly felt for him.

There was no doubt in his mind that Hidan enjoyed having him around to train and manipulate. Just like Hiruko and Konan. Those three liked having him around because they enjoyed the idea of having a willing student that would not fight back because he was much too terrified of dying to do so. They enjoyed their power over him and it was no secret.

Kakuzu was more of a mystery. Why he was interested in Kiba was beyond the shark nin. But he was sure that he didn't like it. The man was known for killing off his own partners until Hidan had arrived. Why he seemed so intent on teaching the boy earth style jutsu was worrying.

Deidara was simple to understand. He had seen that Kiba had ended up in the rest of the Akatsuki's favor, so he had decided to act cordially when around the boy and not bring about any unneeded tension.

But if there was one person that Kisame didn't want anywhere _near_ Kiba, it was the leader of the organization, Pein.

The man was trustworthy when it came to the Akatsuki and its needs. He was an excellent leader that knew what he was doing to get the different people to reach their one united goal. But he was aloof and detached, someone that didn't show sympathy or emotions. The kind of person that would unwittingly make Kiba feel inadequate and unworthy.

"Out of line?" Kisame questioned with a growl, then scoffed with a shake of his head. "This whole damn organization is out of line."

He had thought that Itachi had sunk to a new low by striking that deal with the kid. But the rest of the members of the organization had sunk even lower by making Kiba feel as if they truly cared about him.

"The fuck you talking 'bout, sushi breath?" Hidan hissed back immediately, moving his body so he stood right in front of the shark nin and blocked any way the other could use to leave. "My minion needed his morale boosted. It fucking worked. What's the problem with that?"

Kisame glared back at the silver haired man with anger bubbling up inside of him.

His disdain with Kiba's treatment had slowly grown the more time the kid had been with them. He was a broken boy that needed to go back to his village. Yet the people in this place were blinded to those needs by their own interests and didn't care about the kid at all.

And now they even wanted to send him off on a solo mission to see if he could fulfill his role in the Akatsuki to an even greater degree.

This whole thing was sick. If any of them truly cared for the Inuzuka, they would just let him go back to his village and live the normal life he deserved to live. They wouldn't have kept him in this place and going on wild goose chases of missions just to keep him busy.

"Get the fuck out of my face before I break it."

There were eyes on him now. The rest of the members had been looking after Itachi and Kiba after they had left in a show of curiosity. But upon him growling a threat, they were intrigued by his promise of bodily harm.

"Hidan, step away from Kisame."

"Shut the fuck up, fuck face! This bastard said something horrible and you're fucking _defending_ him!?"

He had known it was bad. But Kisame couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't act as if everything was alright when it wasn't. And he couldn't force himself to be nice to a boy he just wanted returned to his home.

"I'm not defending him." Kakuzu hissed back at his partner, "I'm just stopping a fight from breaking out."

With this the masked man managed to grab all of Hidan's attention, which left Kisame enough space to be able to leave the family room without having to defend himself any further.

Kiba deserved to go back home.

But from what he had been told along with the rest of the organization, he would be getting what he wanted. Just not in the way he wanted it.

* * *

The Inuzuka's mouth opened and closed in pure disbelief. Had he heard correctly? He truly doubted it. He couldn't have just heard Itachi ask to kiss him. There was no way in _any_ world that Itachi would want to kiss him. _Ever_.

Blinking in stupefaction at the dark haired male, Kiba didn't know what to do.

The older male looked down at him with a soft smile on his face, eyes filled with emotion.

"Ever since I saw you all those months ago, caught in that horrible and perilous situation, I knew there was something different about you, Kiba." His thumbs ghosted over Kiba's cheeks, the large hands on the boy's face bringing a warm feeling that made red begin to dust his cheeks. "You were interesting to me. Even when you were abused and broken by those monsters, there was something about you that intrigued me. There is a light in your eye that calls to me."

Itachi's words were heavy and heartfelt. Kiba could hear how honest he was being just from his tone. And with every single word he said, the blush on his face became redder and redder.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Itachi confessing to him? Was one of the moist stoic and collected men he had ever met in his life truly telling him there was something special about _him_?

"You were traumatized and barely spoke. I was terrified that I would never be able to see your true self and that a wonderful light had been extinguished because of brutes without enough intelligence between them to even make a coherent thought." Itachi looked down at him with a severe look on his face, losing the softness that had been there before. "But I wanted to try and help you. I was selfish and asked you to come with us to give you that help. And slowly, I saw you return to the person you must have been before. Caring, intelligent, _amazing_."

The only love confessions Kiba had truly heard before had only been the ones the girls from the academy gave to Sasuke. And those were always full of the same thing: 'You're handsome, your looks amazing, your cool is perfect...'. The girls only knew how to judge on the superficial, so they only said the physical things that attracted them.

But Itachi hadn't even mentioned his looks _once._ He was speaking of being interested by Kiba on a deeper level than physical. And he was speaking of having been intrigued ever since they had met each other back in that camp of monsters.

"You are to be sent on a mission that I will not be able to accompany you on. And before you go, I wish to let you know how I truly feel for you. To finally get this off my chest and let you know just how much you truly mean to me." The hands on his face seemed to become even warmer, but Kiba attributed that to the clear blush shining on his face. "And to show you how truly much you mean to me... I wish for you to allow me to kiss you."

Itachi fell silent then. His dark eyes bore into Kiba's own with uncharacteristic emotions clear inside of them.

There was hope and trust inside of them from what Kiba could make out. There was also a hint of fear, even though that didn't make much sense to the boy. What did Itachi truly have to fear? Rejection? Why would he ever think that the Inuzuka would reject him after everything he had done? Why would someone as perfect as Itachi ever think that someone could truly reject him?

But Kiba was frozen in spot. He could only stare back up at the other male with shock clear on his features.

He knew he liked Itachi. He knew that he had gotten jealous when those kunoichi had flirted with him. And he knew that Itachi was one of the greatest people he had ever met in his life.

Caring, strong, courageous, yet gentle. Itachi was the kind of man that would have undoubtedly been followed by dozens of girls back in his days in the academy. Not only for his looks, but also because of just how good a person he truly was.

There was nothing wrong with the person in front of him.

And here Itachi was, confessing to Kiba that he liked him.

This whole thing seemed like a fevered dream.

"K-kiss me?"

He kind of wanted to slap himself for the only thing he actually managed to say. There stood the man after having, essentially, exposed his whole heart and thoughts to him. And he'd just managed to stutter out a dumb question.

But those hands never moved away from his face. Instead the elder's right thumb began to rub his cheek once more, a small smile making its way onto his face.

"Yes, Kiba." He answered with amusement clear in his voice. "If you would let me, I would like to kiss you."

Once more, all Kiba could do was blink up at him. The other's hands were warm and soft, yet there were callouses to feel. His face was showing his amusement, although he kept his cool about him. And his body was relaxed, giving no sign that there was anything off about what was happening.

Everything pointed to this being real. But Kiba found that extremely hard to believe.

"A-are you sure?" He murmured softly, cocking his head slightly to the side. "I-I mean... Itachi, this is _me_. There's nothing amazing about me."

The boy really couldn't believe what he had heard from the other. He could understand Itachi calling him caring. He cared a lot about all kinds of things. But intelligent? _Different_? Those didn't make much sense in his mind. He was just another member of the Inuzuka clan. He used the four-legged style of fighting customary of his clan and had once had a close relationship with his nin dog.

But... That wasn't right anymore, was it?

"Kiba, must I remind you of how much you have grown and learned in your time in this organization?" Itachi questioned, voice taking on a serious tone that had been missing before.

It wasn't harsh, really. But it was enough to make Kiba feel bad for having reminded the other of how truly normal he was.

"You have learned many different things while with us. You are not only adept at taijutsu, you also show unbelievable amount of promise in kenjutsu, puppeteering techniques, scythe wielding, and strategic thought. You've also learned quite a few earth release techniques from Kakuzu, genjutsu uses from me, and have learned how to truly strategize with the use of explosive tags, from what Deidara has said." Itachi's voice was strong and filled with conviction as his hands moves from Kiba's face down to his shoulders, gripping him tightly. "You have a repertoire that little could even think of as possible, much less try to achieve. And you are no more than thirteen years old. Can you imagine what you will be able to achieve the more you grow?"

It felt odd to have someone touch him like this without him flinching. But Itachi smelled of safety and comfort, he was the only person that could truly make the Inuzuka feel safe.

And what he was saying was the truth. There was no way Kiba could try to undermine it. He had grown and learned a lot during his time with the organization. No one would ever think of having a ninja with so many different skills. After going through everything he had, he truly was a force to be reckoned with.

Looking down at the floor, Kiba began to really think on everything he had learned. And the fact of the matter was that Itachi was right. There was no reason for him to doubt himself anymore.

For, who would think that a small kid like him would be able to wield such deadly weaponry like the combination of a daishō? Who would think that someone as young as him would know how use such brutal weaponry like a scythe? Who would even believe that, aside from those two, he also could use puppeteering techniques and genjutsu? Really, who would expect that someone as young and unimpressive looking as him would be so masterful in so many different techniques?

All of these skills made him an all around fighter. Daishō for close range, scythe for middle, puppet and genjutsu for long... And that wasn't even taking into account the fact that he was better than average in taijutsu and earth style techniques.

"You have a bad habit of underestimating your own skills, Kiba. One of the few flaws you hold." One of Itachi's hands remained on his shoulder, but the other moved up to cup his jaw and make the boy look directly at his eyes. "You must stop looking down at yourself as if you were the boy that got captured by those mercenaries all that time ago. You are stronger and wiser. You are not the same person anymore."

Itachi's words were so filled with conviction that Kiba _had_ to believe him. The man wouldn't lie to him. Not when it came to something as important as this. Actually, Itachi wouldn't lie to him about anything. He was much too honest and open to do something like that to him.

Itachi was strong. Itachi was honest. Itachi was handsome.

"Yes."

For a second, everything froze. Itachi stared down at him without doing anything. And Kiba's breath caught in his chest as he stared back up.

What if he didn't understand? What if he'd regret this? What if he was playing some kind of cruel tri-

Itachi would never do that to him. Maybe some other member of this organization would try to hurt him. But Itachi would never do something like that. He cared too much.

A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Kiba could hear his heart pounding away at his chest, seemingly going a thousand miles an hour. But when he concentrated, he noticed that the loud pounding wasn't coming from his own chest. It was chorused by the pounding coming from Itachi's own.

"Thank you."

The hand on his jaw moved just slightly so his head was tilted even further, and the one on his shoulder moved down his arm so it was holding on to his wrist. He felt it twitch for a moment and thought that maybe the other would think of moving it on his back. But it stayed in its place, holding his wrist. But soon enough, there was no more room left to think. For Itachi's face grew closer as his body leaned to become even closer to him.

Itachi had always seemed like a very well kept kind of man. And during their time on the road together, Kiba had learned that he kept very good hygiene by being responsible with his hair and skin.

But Kiba hadn't, honestly, been prepared for his lips to be so soft. For some reason, he had never found himself thinking about that. Even though he'd thought about how soft his hair must have been and how smooth his skin must be, the boy had never thought about his lips. Maybe it was because he'd never thought he'd ever get a kiss from him. But now he was just amazed by how truly gentle and almost- this thought made his whole face light up in a way that would even give Hinata a run for her money- _amorous_ they were.

The kiss was short and sweet, gentle and warm. Itachi's lips moved softly against Kiba's own as the boy wondered if he should move them as well. But before he could truly reciprocate the wonderful kiss, Itachi had pulled his face away, although his hands remained in place.

He didn't experience the fireworks that he knew Hana had once tried to tell him came with his first kiss. He didn't feel any explosions go off in his mind and he didn't lose his ability to breathe. But the boy did feel a slight flutter in his body, something akin to a wave of contentment wash over him. And it felt extremely good.

Kiba didn't know how much time they spent looking into each other's eyes without saying a thing. He just knew that his face was much too hot and the spots that Itachi's hands were touching felt as if a fire was slowly passing over them.

"That..." Kiba gulped to regain control of his voice, then looked down abashedly. "That was my first kiss."

Quite frankly, he wasn't sure why he said that. He had never paid much attention to anything romantic because it hadn't really interested him. But he knew that all the girls in the academy considered their first kiss to be the most important one they would ever receive.

Now that he had received his own, though... Kiba could kind of understand why Ino had stressed over the importance of her first kiss. He didn't agree with the whole 'I need fireworks, amazing scenery, a pretty dress, and a perfect gentleman!'. He thought that the simple backdrop of Itachi's room, their ordinary clothes, and lack of fireworks was pretty okay. Although Itachi could count as a perfect gentleman.

"Thank you, Kiba."

Kiba knew that Itachi wouldn't move his hands anymore unless he allowed him to. He was much too aware of Kiba's fears to ever do something that might unwittingly make him feel uncomfortable.

So, in a moment of bravery he had not experienced in a long time, Kiba raised his arms up and around Itachi's waist, stepping closer so he was pressed against the man's body. And with heat raising to his face once more- even though he knew that the red had never truly left it- the boy allowed his face to nuzzled against Itachi's chest.

"Does this mean you like me, Itachi?" He dared himself to prod, even though his voice was somewhat muffled.

Itachi's arms moved slowly, as if he were afraid of Kiba darting off before he was able to hug back. But once his hands were snuggly wrapped around the younger male's back, he chuckled softly and pressed a small kiss to the top of Kiba's head.

"Yeah, Kiba. I like you."

Look at that. The heat had now managed to find its way into his ears.

With a small, breathless laugh, Kiba nodded. "Good. 'Cause I like you too."

* * *

Kiba didn't really know what Itachi wanted with that one kiss. He didn't know if they were now going to be an item or if it was a one time thing. But from the way Itachi had held him in his arms after the kiss, then held him as he slept, Kiba was content to believe that the man cared for him and wanted them to stay together for as long as possible.

Quite frankly, Kiba would like to stay with Itachi for as long as possible. The man made him feel safe and _normal_. He didn't feel normal much anymore. Not after everything he had lived through. But Itachi made him feel as if he had never even changed, and that made him feel wonderful.

Unfortunately, from what the leader was telling them both now, they would not be able to be together for as long as they might want to.

"You are sending him as a spy to the Hidden Leaf?"

Kiba was awestruck by what he was hearing. And from Itachi's own tone, he could tell that he wasn't the only person left shocked.

But Konan and Pein both looked calm and sure of themselves, like they always did when telling Kiba what he was to do next.

"He has not been proclaimed as a missing nin. Because he's young, he will not be questioned too much. And considering how truly heinous the actions done against him were, most will take pity on him and allow him back into the village without much hesitation." Konan explained, looking at Itachi before turning her calm eyes on Kiba. "We would not ask this of you if we weren't sure of your safety."

Kiba wasn't allowed to question just what that could mean. The leader began to speak and explain himself before the boy could do so.

"I will not beat around the bush, Inuzuka. There is a reason I sent you on that mission to Takigakure and there is a reason I wish to send you back to Konoha. In Takigakure, you befriended a girl named Fū. Now I wish for you to follow after the boy named Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto? Kiba looked at the man with wide eyes, then narrowed them in thought. The scent.

"It's because they share something, isn't it?"

For a second, all three members of the organization seemed surprised about Kiba actually speaking up. And Kiba took this moment to elaborate on his thought, to leave nothing out, and make sure he was answered honestly.

"He and Fū. They both share a scent. There's something inside of them that makes them different. And Gaara too. They all have that same scent to them, hidden beneath their natural scent." Kiba told them, then narrowed his eyes even further. "You wanted me to learn about Fū because of that. And now you want me to give you information on Naruto because of it. Right?"

He was taken aback by being told he was to go back to Konoha. But that shock ebbed slowly away into indignation.

After everything he had gone through, every single dark thought that had eaten away at him because of abandoning his home, he was being told he was to go back. Even though he hadn't made peace with never going back, he had made peace with being a part of a criminal organization. But now they wanted him to go back?

And they wanted him to give up information on _Naruto._ Lying and tricking Fū had been hard enough. How could he be expected to do something like that to someone he'd known since he was a _kid_?

"Yes." Pein answered monotonously. "All three of the people you mentioned hold a dangerous secret. One that is essential for our organization to have to be able to complete our plans."

"Plans?" The boy repeated incredulously. "Sir, you know I haven't questioned any of your orders. I understood my place and that what you say goes. But do you have any idea what you're asking me to do?"

"Kiba, there is an explanation that makes sense." Konan took a step towards him with an almost alarmed look in her eyes, "Just allow us to explain, please."

The boy hadn't gotten angered in a long time. Terrified? Many times. Worried? A lot more. But truly angered? Not at any of the members of the organization. Not like this.

"There are a lot of things you do not know, boy." Pein began, making Kiba's glare turn onto him. "Things that have been kept from just about everyone that does not need to know to be able to keep this world's heinous order in place." The man's face was set in a scowl that challenged Kiba's own. "One of these things is the secret behind the oddity in the scent of these three individuals."

With a heavy air around him, the man stood up, arms clasped together behind his back. "Chakra monsters, which are more widely known as tailed beasts, are a well kept secret among the hidden villages. Every one of them has one bound to a member of their populace. And Takigakure, although not as large as other hidden villages, also has one in their grasp. The girl you know as Fū. She is not just a hyperactive friend. She is a dangerous weapon that will be abused by her village when they deem it necessary."

Chakra monsters? Just what was this man going on about?

Sparing a glance at Itachi, Kiba wondered if he was believing what they were being told. Because, really, it sounded like something Hidan would spout off before Kakuzu would knock him out.

"The three you mentioned: Gaara, Fū, and Naruto, all share this. They are jinchūriki. Containers of these tailed beasts. Through sealing techniques performed during their births, these three have the beasts contained within their bodies." Pein now stood in front of both Itachi and Kiba, only looking down at the young boy with intense eyes. "When the time comes for their villages to use these beasts against their consent, the three you spoke of, along with the other six jinchūriki, they will be killed to extract the power within them."

This was all hard to believe. Chakra monsters? Did this mean they were made up wholly of chakra? Was that even possible? And Pein spoke of there being nine and a well kept secret. How could something this big and possibly dangerous be kept so hidden from the rest of the world?

"The reason why we wanted you to watch over Fū and want you to watch over Naruto now is to save them. The tailed beasts are eating away from the inside. You know this because of their scent appearing within their own." Pein didn't falter as he continued to speak, voice becoming darker and more pressing. "The more that time passes, the weaker the seal holding them in place becomes. Putting them at a risk of being consumed completely by their contained beast."

Once Pein finished speaking, Kiba felt a hollow feeling appear in his chest.

The man wasn't insane like Hidan. And he wouldn't lie about something as important and fatal as this. Which meant that Fū and Naruto were in danger of something that maybe they didn't even know about.

"But... Wouldn't the villages stop them from being consumed by their beasts?" Kiba wondered, lowering his eyes from Pein in thought.

The man didn't move away. He just remained in his spot in front of the Inuzuka. "They are discarded once their bodies become a corpse, Kiba. And they look for a new container for the beast to keep that power within their village. Would you truly expect anything different from people that wish to keep this world in the depraved state it is in?"

Pein's words were harsh yet rang with honesty. He didn't sound as if he were lying. And the story, while unbelievable, was spoken with such conviction that Kiba found himself believing it plausible.

"We wish to extract these tailed beasts in a safe and nonfatal manner." Konan spoke up from her spot beside the desk, making Kiba look up at her. "We take a catastrophic and near world ending power from the hidden villages, keep it contained, and save the unfortunate containers being used without them even knowing it. Kiba, we may be criminals, but we truly wish to help the world."

After she had said her own strong words, the room fell into silence.

Kiba was busy processing everything he had heard and what it would mean for him. And Itachi's own grim frown allowed him to know that he wasn't the only one trying to make sense of what had been said.

"So..." He began slowly, looking up at Konan. "You want me to return to Konoha as, what, exactly? I don't know what's been going on in the village. For all I know I may not even be accepted."

"You would be." Pein spoke up once more, which made the Inuzuka look up at his once more emotionless face. "We have kept up to date with news in your village. And you would be accepted back with the cover story we will give you."

"Cover story?"

This was the first time Itachi had spoken up since the leader had begun to speak. And he seemed curious and somewhat worried about what the cover story might be.

"Yes. We have a believable and sympathy earning one already prepared." The man answered, then looked back down at Kiba. "You would be doing this to make the world a better place, Kiba. And you would be able to return to your home, see the family and friends you have missed."

"But I would remain as an agent of the Akatsuki."

Kiba didn't ask that. He merely stated it as a truth. And Pein nodded in agreement.

"You will be able to remain in contact with all members of the Akatsuki. And we will bring you information we believe you may need to know. You will remain an official member of the Akatsuki while acting as a spy for us. Your place in this organization will not be jeopardized. You'll simply be putting your skills and lessons into action."

With this, the man looked at Itachi. "If you would, I wish to have some time alone with Kiba to finish explaining his mission."

"There's more?" Kiba was actually surprised. Pein, though, was not amused.

"There is more."

Taking one look at Itachi, Kiba immediately knew that he didn't want to leave Kiba alone. But the boy knew that there was no way he could deny this mission. Not when there were so many reasons to accept it. Not when he could help Fū and Naruto from something they didn't even know was happening to them.

"I'll be fine." He smiled softly at the man with a nod. "We can go ahead and practice some more genjutsu once I'm out, just to make sure my illusions are battle ready."

The man's face was set in an emotionless gaze. But Kiba could see that Itachi wanted to say something from the momentary defiance that flashed in his eyes.

"Alright." He nodded, though, and turned around. "We shall continue once you have been briefed."

His voice was dark and heavy, more so than what Kiba had heard in a long time. But soon the man was gone and he was left in the office with Konan and Pein, whom both looked at him intently.

"You're sure Fū and Naruto are in danger?"

Both of them nodded, making the boy breathe in and his stomach lurch.

He would be forced to face the very people he had abandoned because of a deal struck with Itachi. All of the pain he had caused would be made extremely clear once he went back.

Kiba wasn't ready for this. But Fū and Naruto were in danger. And he had the power to save them.

"Alright..." He sighed softly, closing his eyes. "What's my cover story?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, guys, I believe two more chapters and this story will finally be completed! But don't fret, there will be a sequel eventually! That I promise.


	43. Final Decision

"Your cover story is simple. It is exactly what happened to you." Pein began, catching the Inuzuka off guard. "You were captured by the gang of mercenaries and kidnapped by the Akatsuki to be used for tracking purposes. But you were returned by us when we decided that your usefulness had ended and we no longer needed you."

Kiba didn't know what he had been expecting as a cover story. But... It certainly hadn't been the kind in which he was telling the truth.

"You were treated respectfully by us, but forced to work for us against your will." The man continued as he turned around, walking back towards his desk to sit back down. As he walked, Kiba followed him with his eyes. "We did not allow you any seconds to rest. And you were never afforded any time to truly internalize the way you were brutalized by the group of mercenaries that held you captive."

With this, the man sat himself down and looked at Kiba intently, but said nothing else.

Kiba immediately knew what he meant. The man had not said it, but he knew what he was implying.

"You want for me to act like the victim of a brutal rape." Kiba felt his mouth dry and his throat close up as he thought about everything he had gone through just to end up going back to a place he had essentially forsaken. "You wish for me to go back to my village as an agent for your organization under the guise of a traumatized victim. You don't want me to act as if everything's fine. You want for me to play the part of a person suffering from trauma."

Now Konan took a step towards him, eyes soft and face serene. "Yes, Kiba. It is the only way we could find." She grabbed a couple of papers that were on the leader's desk and made her way over to him, then offered them to the Inuzuka. "You see, Kiba, you are young and a member of one of the most important clans in Konoha. The village trusts you because of this. And if you were to go as a stricken and crying mess, scarred and horrified by what you experienced, they would not question you for they would not want to fracture your already fragile state of mind."

Kiba understood what he was being told. If he were to act like he had when he had first met Itachi and Kisame, like someone that had just gone through ten different kinds of hells, he would not be forced to answer too many questions. Especially if he closed up and remained silent whenever they asked.

But for that... He didn't think he could accurately and believably do that. Not now after having to grow a new backbone to be able to face the members of this organization. Not after he had been forced to push everything he had experienced to the very back of his mind, ignore it, and grow strong enough to not let it affect him as it had after it happened to him.

"I'm not good enough of an actor to do that."

His words were strong and his face was set in a steely gaze. He knew with certainty that he would not be able to act the way he would need to. And this would cause him to be caught and forced into interrogation immediately.

"We weren't going to ask you to act as if you were." Pein responded with his face set in a small scowl, "Kiba... What we're going to ask you is much worse..."

The boy was not afraid of showing the confusion he felt with his face. And he glanced from the leader over to Konan, who merely looked away from him.

She looked guilty. And her scent changed just slightly to show just that. Although the leader's remained steady, not even tinged in the least bit by the feeling that was affecting Konan.

"To make sure you are truly accepted back into Konoha with as little complications as possible, you would need to make others believe you were horribly affected by what you experienced and you were much too terrified to help yourself when around us." The man's eyes were stony as he looked at Kiba, "We wish to make you relive the trauma."

Kiba felt the world rush away from his feet. The words smacked into him violently, sending him into an immediate tail spin.

_Relive the trauma._

Had he truly heard correctly?

"If your mind were to be forced to live through what traumatized you in the first case, it would revert to the state Itachi and Kisame found you in. And, in essence, your actions and reactions would be what would be expected of someone that was hurt beyond what many would believe possible." The man continued speaking, although his words sounded distant to the Inuzuka, faraway. "Who would question a boy that was raped and held captive against his will? Especially if he was much too terrified of speaking to the men that he once trusted? It is the perfect cover because it is the closest to the truth."

The Inuzuka's legs began to feel like jelly, as if they would give away at any second. His chest constricted painfully and his hands began to shake minutely. He had experienced this before. And he hated it.

He closed his eyes to try and calm his breath. But all that managed to do was force images of the brutes that had hurt him into the forefront of his mind. Tears began to sting at him, threatening to fall.

"It will hurt. You will not be the youth that stands before me today. Instead you will be the youth that first came into this base with Itachi and Kisame by his side."

Konan moved forward towards him and raised her hand to touch him. But just like he had done so long ago, the boy flinched away from her touch and looked down at the floor. She didn't try to touch him again when she spoke up.

"Please, Kiba, it is for the best." Her words were soft and laced with a tinge of sadness, "If you were to go back with any other story, it is very likely you would be questioned. Maybe they would even send someone into your memories to see if what you said was the truth. We cannot risk that because we do not wish you to be killed while working for us in Konoha. And if you were to go back with this same story but merely _act_ the part, there would be cracks in your façade and you would be found out."

His breathing was slow and heavy as he tried to calm his racing heart. And when Kiba looked up at the leader with wide, almost pleading eyes, the man's face seemed to soften, if only marginally.

"If you were to believe everything that happened to you did so recently... No one would wish to question you. They would merely wish to see you get better."

Pein had spoken of him not being able to speak to the men he had once trusted. And Kiba knew that this would truly be the case. When he was still beginning his tenure in the organization, he had been terrified of all of the men here. It was with all due reason, if one thought logically about it. They were dangerous and powerful. What was to stop them from hurting him like the brutes had? But... Would he truly speak to the men that he had once trusted after he was forced to live through the horrible trauma a second time?

There was no doubt in Kiba's mind as to what the answer to that question was.

"Now that we have explained this to you, there is one more thing I must explain to you."

How could he move on so quickly after giving the boy such devastating news? How could he be so professional about making a boy believe he was being brutally raped again just for a mission?!

"There is a way to communicate with me and the rest of the Akatsuki that I shall teach you. It is a technique that can only be used when you are sure that you are completely alone without anybody around." Pein told him in his monotonous, never affected voice, "Please sit so I can teach you the mechanics."

It was a miracle he managed to kneel down without falling to the floor.

* * *

Itachi was pacing his room.

When he had kissed Kiba, he had felt his heart nearly burst. The boy's lips on his own had felt heavenly. It had taken all of his self control to stop himself from going any farther than Kiba would have wanted.

During that one moment with Kiba, Itachi had felt as if everything the boy had been through was worth it. Their relationship, while not clearly discussed, had transcended mere friendship. And he now knew how much he truly meant to the Uchiha. Itachi had marveled in the idea that Kiba truly knew how much he affected him.

Then they had both been called in to speak with the leader.

Lies. That was what had been fed to Kiba. But they were with a purpose. And in the leader's mind, the ends were completely worth the means. As long as his plans would come to fruition, he did not mind what he did or who he hurt. It was just the way the man was.

Itachi didn't know how he truly felt about Kiba heading back to his village.

On one side, he would be reunited with his family and Itachi could try and act as if his conscience would be cleared by this. The boy would be returned to the place he had been forced away from and would be able to reconnect with those friends and family he had missed while with them.

But, on the other side... He _didn't_ want Kiba to go. He wanted to keep the Inuzuka near him at all times. The selfish side of his brain wished to damn any old plans he had created and run away with the Inuzuka. He was powerful enough to deal with any that may try and hurt him. And Kiba could now take care of himself against any opponent that underestimated him.

In a perfect world, they would be able to run away and live on the run in any way they wished to live... In a perfect world, Kiba would never have gotten raped and they never would have even met... In a perfect world, Kiba would have been able to live his life happy and without any kind of fear...

This was nothing even close to a perfect world.

Hiruko had already packed up all of the Inuzuka's supplies. All of the weapons that would have seemed suspicious were stowed away inside scrolls that were then hidden inside hidden compartments inside of the pack. All of the boy's clothes were already packed up inside of the backpack, including the cloaks that Kakuzu had made for him.

Kiba was to wear the full Akatsuki uniform when he was returned. Itachi did not know if this was wise. Would it not seem suspicious to the Konoha shinobi that the Inuzuka was clad in their full uniform as if he truly were a part of their organization?

As soon as he heard the door to his room open, Itachi stopped in his pacing and looked at the door. It opened slowly and when Kiba stepped in, the boy seemed so small that the man had to stop himself from wrapping him up in his arms immediately. Instead, he took a couple of steps forward and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Kiba?"

The boy was looking down at the floor. He didn't dare raise his eyes up to him. And Itachi felt a flash of anger pass through him that was directed at Konan and Pein.

What had they told the boy? What other lies had they fed him?

"I-Itachi..." The Inuzuka's jaw shut tightly after he murmured his name.

His eyes narrowed at the boy's uncharacteristic way of acting, memories of when he had first been around the boy bubbling up to the front of his mind before he stomped them down. But he soon composed himself, schooled his face into a curious looking one, and asked, "What's wrong, Kiba? You can tell me anything you'd like. You know that."

"I..." The boy choked slightly on his words, shoulders beginning to shake. "I need you to do something... Something you won't like..."

Itachi's blood ran cold. But Kiba didn't allow him to question anything. Instead, the boy told him exactly what it was that he needed. And Itachi agreed. He did _not_ like what was being asked.

"I need you to use your genjutsu to make me live through the rapes again."

~/~

It had not been easy to gather up the nerve to tell Itachi this.

It had been even harder to make himself believe that this was the only true way to do this.

Relive everything he had managed to escape... Live through all the hell he had resented just to have a believable and understandable attitude just so that he wouldn't be questioned too harshly when he returned to Konoha... But it was all for a reason. Two people he held dear were in danger of being killed because of something they most probably didn't even know about.

He couldn't let them die. He couldn't allow it to happen now that he knew about it.

There was a small part of his brain that told him what Pein was telling him could be wrong. There was the small logical voice in the back of his head that told him this was much too convoluted and strange to ever be real. But the rest of his mind told him that, no matter how odd this all might sound, the Akatsuki had no reason to lie to him about something as critical as this. And a fearful side of his mind told him that, even if there was a slight chance that this was all wrong, two great friends of his were in danger of dying. And if what he was being told was true yet he did nothing about it, then he'd have to live with their demise hanging over him for the rest of his life.

Going back to Konoha was terrifying. He didn't know how his family would react after he had been away for so long. He was fearful of everything having changed and him having no real place left for him in his home. He was terrified of facing the people he had left behind to join this organization.

What would Shino do to him when he got back? How would his once best friend treat him once he returned? And how would Hinata? How would Kurenai and Iruka Sensei?

... How would Hana and his mom?

"You... Kiba, you do not know what you are asking of me."

He didn't dare look up at Itachi when the elder spoke up. He knew that the other would be completely against his idea.

But who else could Kiba turn to? Pein had told him that Itachi was the only person in the Akatsuki with the abilities to do what was needed to do. None of the other members of the organization had the skill set to do what Kiba needed to be done.

"I do, Itachi." He breathed, wrapping his arms around himself to grasp tightly at his side. "To go back to Konoha, I have to be traumatized. I have to be exposed to what terrifies and haunts me. It has to be done so I'm not questioned too harshly over what happened while I was with you guys... Itachi, if I'm not a believable victim, I'll be taken in for questioning. They may give me over to a Yamanaka or mind walker... I'd be imprisoned for being a traitor."

He _didn't_ want to do this. But he knew he had to do it. He had been given a mission, a pretty good reason for completing it, and a means to be able to do it flawlessly without any complications.

"Please, Itachi. This is my decision to make. And I want you to do it. I couldn't trust anybody else to do it."

He was pleading. He was begging. He didn't like it. But it was the only way he could truly convince Itachi to do it. Konan had made it clear that if he made it sound as if he had no other choice, Itachi would agree to doing this. It was just the way Itachi was.

"I trust that you won't hurt me more than I need you to."

The words that came from his mouth repulsed him. He could not believe that he was begging Itachi to hurt him in this manner. He couldn't believe he was asking to relive the worst thing that had ever happened to him in his life.

The things he did to save those he cared for...

" _Please_ , Itachi..." But when he looked up at the older male, he found that Itachi was looking away from him. His eyes danced with indecision and fear. And Kiba knew that unless he played his final card, Itachi wouldn't do it. "... I thought you cared about me..."

Tears filled his eyes as he said these words. As soon as he had said them, he wanted to take them back and tell Itachi that he hadn't meant them. But he clamped his mouth shut and hugged himself even tighter, trying to still the churning in his stomach.

"I don't want to be branded as a traitor, Itachi. We both know the truth about everything that happened. No one else does, though... And no one would understand the truth... They would incarcerate me."

Itachi's grip on his shoulders was bruising. But Kiba didn't find it within himself to pull the man off. Instead he just allowed those hands to dig into his bone, hurting him a thousand times less than he was hurting Itachi.

" _Please_."

His heart was hammering in his chest. And Itachi's was beating just as loudly, which only made Kiba's guilt escalate.

"Fine... I'll do it..."

For the second time that day, Kiba felt the world as it was snatched away from beneath his feet. But instead of allowing his knees to succumb, the Inuzuka smiled up at the man and nodded.

"Thank you."

With this, the boy shuffled his feet just slightly and looked down at the floor. "I'll go and say my goodbyes to the Akatsuki... I don't think I'll be in the correct mind to do so after you're done."

~/~

Hidan had been the most vocal about his goodbye. And the most affectionate one too. He'd hugged Kiba tightly and told him that Lord Jashin would always be in his heart, looking after him and making sure his mission went according to plan. And for the first time, Kiba had hugged back. Even though Hidan was bat shit insane, the man cared. His way of showing it was odd and somewhat confusing, but it was just him being who he was. And Kiba would kind of miss the insane bastard.

Deidara had nodded at him and ruffled his hair, then reminded him to take care of the figurines he had made. Kiba, after promising to take care of them as if they were the most precious in the world, couldn't help but smile back at the blonde. It was interesting how much their relationship had changed compared to what it had been in the beginning.

Kakuzu had not hugged him. He'd looked down at Kiba with an odd kind of softness in his normally harsh eyes as he nodded down at the boy. And Kiba had given him a crooked smile, tears threatening to spill. And then he'd told Kiba to take care and not get himself into too much trouble. That had just about broke the boy's resolve to not cry.

He had grown to see Kakuzu as a kind of grumpy grandfather figure. He'd never had a grandfather in his life before. Both of sets of grandparents had died during the Third Shinobi War and he'd never been able to meet them. But Kakuzu was so serious that he felt much older than everybody else in the organization. And in an odd sort of way, Kiba had begun to think of him as the grandfather he'd never met. An aloof, grumpy, and extremely violent surrogate grandfather.

Hiruko had roughly reminded him to keep up with his training regime and not slack off while he was on his mission. Then he had wrapped the metal tail around Kiba one final time, told him that he wasn't a bad student, and pushed him off in the direction of his room.

He had already said his goodbyes to the leader and Konan. And apparently, Kisame was nowhere to be found. Kiba was hurt by this. He had felt the most connected to Kisame, after Itachi. The shark nin had been there for the worst of the worst. He'd seen Kiba at his lowest and had helped in his rough, unique way. Even though he'd hurt him with his comment to Hidan the past night, Kiba couldn't find it within himself to hold even an ounce of resentment towards him. He just wasn't able to. Not with this man.

It felt wrong to not give him one final hug before he was thrust back into a terrified and fearful state of mind.

Kiba walked back to his room with a heavy heart. His hands shook and his chest felt like it couldn't handle the pressure building up inside of it anymore. But he knew what he was getting into. And it was for the good of those he loved. He would do it because he knew it was the right thing to do.

But when he was close to the room, his dark thoughts brightened just slightly. Kisame was inside of the room. Hope swelled in his chest and when he opened the door, he found the shark nin standing at the very center of the room, muscular arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Well?" The blue skinned man questioned gruffly, "Going to say your farewell?"

Kiba threw himself into Kisame's arms. The man was caught off guard by this and only had a few seconds to react, but the Inuzuka hadn't cared.

"Thank you, Kisame." He whispered softly, burrowing into his arms. "For everything. For being my teacher. For being there when I needed it. For just... _Thank you_."

Kisame's arms slowly wound around his back and held him tight. Kiba rejoiced in the feeling of the man actually returning the hug, one lone tear falling down his left eye.

Kisame had terrified him. But then he'd become one of the few people he really, truly trusted. And now that he was going to face such a horrible mindset once more... Kiba knew that he would not be able to hug Kisame. Not like this. Not without fearing for his life. So he was going to take advantage of this hug and make sure that Kisame understood how much he truly loved him before he was forced to go back to dark thoughts overwhelming him.

"You did good, Inuzuka. And you're going to _do_ _good_ too." The man's hands tightened on the cloak that enveloped Kiba, whispering softly. "And don't you dare to forget to continue practicing with that set of swords. I don't teach just anyone, you hear me?"

With a choked sob, Kiba nodded, pulling himself away from the man. "I hear you."

Kisame took one final look of his face before nodding himself, then pulled away from Kiba.

"It was quite the ride, kid... Don't forget how awesome I am, huh?"

As he wiped at his eyes, Kiba gave one final nod. "Promise."

And then Kisame was gone, leaving him alone in the room he had come to identify as a safe haven with Itachi.

The man was looking at him with saddened eyes. But once the door had closed behind the shark nin, he wrapped Kiba up in a hug and pressed his lips to the Inuzuka's forehead.

"I didn't want to hurt you."

Kiba closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep the tears that were becoming harder and harder to control inside. "I know... But I don't blame you. And I won't hate you for this, Itachi."

Tentatively, he raised his hands to the elder's jaw and pushed on it so he was looking him right in the eyes. "I trust you, Itachi." And then he pressed his lips to Itachi's own, chaste yet, hopefully, showing just how much he actually trusted the older male.

He didn't want to do this. But he knew he had to. It was his mission. It was time for him to go back home.

Pulling away from the kiss, Kiba rested his forehead against Itachi's chest. And the older's hands found their way into his hair, passing through it like it had so many times before. It was a comfort to Kiba. And he guessed that from the way Itachi seemed to want to keep him there in this position, it was also a comfort to him.

They spent what felt like an eternity in each other's arms. But, at the same time, it felt like mere milliseconds. Because before Kiba was ready for the order, Itachi instructed him to lay down on his bed and become comfortable.

Doing as he was told, the Inuzuka rested against the bed he had used for so long. Itachi's scent was still there and clear, enveloping him in another layer of comfort.

"When you wake up, you will believe everything you have seen is real." Itachi informed him, voice taking on a cold and detached tone once more. "You will be in the same state of mind you were when Kisame and I first found you."

Kiba felt his throat close up and his whole body tense up. But he forced himself to nod and close his eyes.

"I trust you, Itachi."

And then all he knew was pain.

* * *

Hidan had tried to run in and stop Itachi. It had taken Kakuzu, Kisame, and Hiruko to stop him from interrupting him.

"You fucker! I thought you could make him see everything he needed to see in just seconds! Don't fucking drag it out! You sadistic son of a bitch!"

Itachi had ignored the words and kept his concentration on pulling out all of the memories he knew Kiba would need for his mission. He could, theoretically, do all of this in just a few seconds flat. He wouldn't need to see Kiba screaming and writhing in pain and begging for mercy for more than just a few seconds. He could make it quick and not force himself to see Kiba in so much pain.

But if he did that, he risked breaking Kiba's psyche completely. His technique was usually used on enemies; people he didn't care if they survived or died. But he needed Kiba to live. And if overloaded the boy's mind as quickly as he could, he risked breaking him completely.

Hidan didn't know this. Neither did Kisame. But maybe they would eventually figure it out. Itachi didn't really care. He was much too focused on forcing himself to go through with what Kiba had asked and not leaving it halfway.

The boy's screams chipped at his resolve. Itachi wanted nothing more than to stop what he was doing and gather the boy in his arms to hug him until the pain was gone.

But he couldn't do that, now could he?

Kiba was going to go back to Konoha. There was no way to get around it. And this would be the only way to make sure that he was safe. Oftentimes, the best lies were the ones that were mostly filled with the truth. And Kiba would just be telling a modified version of the truth.

... If he could even speak at all...

It took hours for him to go through everything that had happened to Kiba at a pace that wouldn't destroy his psyche completely. And then, once the screams had died down and Kiba was just sobbing softly, Itachi added the memory of having met him and Kisame just to give him some sort of comfort.

When Kiba opened his eyes, Itachi allowed a small frown to form on his lips.

The boy's eyes were just as wide and terrified as they had been when they had first met.

He had done his job.

Kiba was traumatized. And this time, he wouldn't have the Akatsuki's looming threat to help him cope. This time, he would be forced to cope all alone.

The boy's body would be feeling the same way it had when they had first met. Which meant that it would take him a few days to regain completely mobility of it. And this would force the boy to be carried by him for a good part of their journey.

"I-Itachi?" The boy's whisper was so terrified that it pierced Itachi's heart. "W-where am I?"

Instead of answering the boy, Itachi just looked down at him and set him into an artificial sleep. The same kind he had used before to keep him from finding out the way to the Akatsuki's base so long ago. And once Kiba was down and sleeping, the man allowed his head to fall into his hands and the tears he had been keeping inside to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter (one with a not as sad ending as this, promise!) and we're done!


	44. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, quick message. I know the past chapter was unbelievable. And I'm sorry for making it so dark. But this was the only way I could think of for the story to go in the direction that I want it to. And, remember, there will be a sequel that will be even more extensive than this. It'll be set in Shippuden and follow Kiba as he maneuvers through his reality and copes with everything he has done. It will also be filled with flashbacks, which will answer most questions about what was happening in Konoha while this story followed Kiba almost exclusively during the last few chapters. So Shino, Hinata, and Naruto's storyline will be concluded. Just like Hana and Tsume's.
> 
> But, like I said, happy ending!

_"This mission is S-Ranked, Shikamaru. But it will not appear in your records as such. It'll be placed as an A-Rank. Because it is so dangerous, I want you to stay behind me at all times and follow_ all _of my instructions. Have I been understood?"_

_"Yeah, dad... But... Why am I here? You, Kakashi Sensei, and Lord Jiraiya are all more than capable of getting Kiba back... Right?"_

_"... I would like to believe that, son. But even though I hope things will work out well, I also know there is a chance of things going wrong. You're here to lure Kiba to us and see if he'll return to us willingly."_

The conversation replayed in the young Nara's mind over and over again as he followed after his father through the tree lines. Kakashi Sensei was at the front of the formation, his dog Pakkun running ahead of him. And Jiraiya was following behind Shikamaru, keeping his senses alert for anything that may follow him while also protecting the youngest member of their team.

Shikamaru could not understand that he found himself on an S ranked mission... Well, he _could_ understand his father's reasoning. If Kiba had really gone through so much, maybe seeing a familiar friend would help him come back to them. But to do this meant they were relying on the hope that there was still a semblance of the old Kiba left.

None of the adults had said it, but Shikamaru hadn't needed them to say it. Kiba wasn't going to be the same person. The boy he had grown up with would not be the same one they would find. Everything he had gone through would be effective in breaking anyone down, seasoned veterans or green genin. It was a harsh truth everyone knew.

A harsh truth none wanted to speak aloud.

They had been trying to find a semblance of the boy's scent for weeks now. They had followed Jiraiya's instructions about where he knew the Akatsuki usually went. But all of the trails to be found there were either cold or didn't belong to any of the people they were hoping to find.

Luckily, a messenger eagle from Konoha had gotten to them last night and delivered a message that helped in their search. But this message raised many questions that worried all of the males.

Who had sent it? Why? How did they know this information? What ulterior motives could there be?

The scroll had been a simple one without any indicators as to who had sent it. The Hokage had sent a message along with this one saying that even though she didn't like the uncertainty about everything when it came to it, it was their only true lead to follow. So they were to go to this meeting place and be as cautious as possible. And that, no matter what, they were to avoid all kinds of confrontations. There was to be no battle with the members of the organization.

_'Kiba Inuzuka will be in the town of Midori no Mori in a fortnight at noon. He will be escorted by two members of the Akatsuki. There is to be no conflict during the hand off. He will be returned and you will allow our members to leave without trying to capture them. Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in the termination of whoever Konohagakure sends to get him.'_

The message in itself was pretty straightforward. The orders were simple and allowed them to hope that they would finally find the boy had been searching for throughout the winter season. But there were so many unknown variables that Shikamaru didn't know if it was wise to be heading over to the small town on the edges of the Land of Fire.

Two weeks had passed since the message had been sent to the Hokage and then to their group. They were to go today and find Kiba today at noon. And they were just an hour away from the town.

There wasn't much talk between the group. All of them were serious men that enjoyed silence over noise. Shikamaru could respect this and even understand it. But after traveling with them for so long, he was in desperate need of some kind of animated talk. He hadn't seen Chouji in so long and had even missed Christmas at his house. And even though he always acted as if he never enjoyed being showered by his mother's love and gifts, he had no idea he would miss it so much when he found himself outside of the village for the holiday.

"Shikamaru."

The Nara quirked an eyebrow when he heard the man behind him call him, then turned his head just slightly to look at him. Jiraiya's face was pulled into a deep scowl, serious and composed as his eyes shined in thought.

"Yeah?"

"There shouldn't be any fighting breaking out when we meet with Kiba and the Akatsuki. And even though there is a big chance that the message is misleading and we might get attacked, there is a slight chance that this would be the truth." The man's words were heavy, just like his face. "Because you're the one person Kiba would not be terrified of, you'll be standing at the very front. Shikaku will stand behind you, Kakashi to your left, and I will be to your right. If any sort of combat should break out, you are to go straight behind your father and listen to _all_ of his orders."

The boy looked at the man for a moment before nodding and looking forward once more. He had known that his only purpose in the group was to be a sort of lure for the kidnapped Inuzuka. And from the way all of the men spoke of their adversaries, he knew there was no way he was around because of his fighting skills. And because his father was there, he certainly wouldn't be used for strategy either.

For the first time since he had become a fully fledged shinobi, Shikamaru found out what it felt like to be the weakest link in a team. And he didn't like it.

Kiba had gone through so much... He had been raped and brutalized, only to then be captured by whoever this Akatsuki was and forced to work for them. They didn't know what the Akatsuki wanted with him nor why they were returning him. And Shikamaru found it all so fishy that he didn't know what to think about the situation anymore.

But there was one thing he did know. He was supposed to see Kiba for the first time in months today. Although he knew the Kiba he would find would not be the Kiba he had once know. And he highly doubted the boy would ever be the same person again after all of this.

~/~

When they reached the small town, Pakkun sniffed at the air and immediately alerted them to Kiba's presence.

"The pup's here. With Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha. They're a few miles away." The dog scratched at the top of his head slightly as he spoke, a nervous tick Shikamaru had noted after a few weeks of being around him.

Jiraiya nodded and placed his hands on his hips, frowning in thought, "It's a half hour to noon. Let's start walking."

Shikamaru knew that he was hungry. And he was aware of the fact that they hadn't eaten anything since their breakfast about five hours ago. But his stomach was turning and twisting so uncomfortably that he highly doubted he'd be able to swallow anything and keep it down for long. His nerves were getting the best of him and it was so troublesome he hated it.

And from the way his father and Kakashi Sensei nodded at Jiraiya's orders, the boy guessed that they too were too uneasy to eat anything.

Would Chouji have asked to eat anything before going to the meeting if he had been here? Would he have been able to keep it down? Would Ino have argued that they needed to stop and rest for at least a few minutes before they continued moving?

This had been the longest he had ever gone without contact with his best friends in his life. When he got back home, he'd make sure to let them know how much they mattered to him and how grateful he was that they hadn't been the ones caught in Kiba's situation.

What if all of this had happened to him? Would the Hokage have handled everything in the same manner? Would his father have been kept under wraps like Kiba's mother? Would his clan have begun to fall apart like the Inuzuka clan had? Would Ino and Chouji have ostracized themselves from their friends like Shino and Hinata had? Would his mother have fallen apart like Hana?

It was wrong to think this way, but Shikamaru was thankful that this hadn't happened to him. He was terrified of what might have happened to his family if it had.

They followed after the small dog as he used his nose to follow Kiba's scent. They passed through shops and homes, the people around them giving them enough space to not have to separate. They walked until they reached the edge of the town and were faced with forest once more. And when Pakkun stopped, Shikamaru couldn't help but stare.

Both men that stood behind Kiba were terrifying in their own way. They stood at the edge where the forest ended and the town began, a sort of darkness surrounding them while the dog nin stood between them.

The one to Kiba's right must have been Kisame Hoshigaki. He was taller than his Uchiha partner with shark-like features and blue skin. The large blade on his back and the Kirigakure headband on his head made Shikamaru infer that this was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He didn't know much about them because he hadn't read about them. But he knew that they were a dangerous group of shinobi and some had defected from the village during the Fourth Mizukage's reign.

And the one to his left was undoubtedly Itachi Uchiha. He was older and taller from what Shikamaru remembered, but there was no doubt in his mind. He had met Sasuke's brother at one point while they were children and had played together. He and Sasuke had gone on a few playdates set up by their mothers and it was during one of these that he had met the eldest child of the Uchiha clan head's sons. Just like before, Itachi's gaze was serene and stern, seemingly unchanged by the passage of time.

He still couldn't believe that Sasuke's brother had committed so many atrocities. And he couldn't believe that the only reason as to why he knew about them now was because Shikaku had decided that he was old and smart enough to know of the truths kept hidden by Konoha.

Kiba looked different. His hair was longer and the his forehead protector had a gash running over the village symbol, much like Itachi and Kisame's. And he wore a cloak just like the members of the Akatsuki, black, red, and a glaring identifier as to what horrors he had been forced to face. But these weren't the reasons why he seemed different. It was his face. Shikamaru had never seen Kiba look like this before. His eyes weren't the same. They were cold and hard. His eyebrows were narrowed not in anger, but in pain.

Shikamaru would never have before thought that Kiba could ever look like this. Kiba had always been so full of life and energetic. But now... He seemed almost lifeless.

"Konoha sent one of its legendary Sannin?" The blue skinned man began with a cocky tilt of his lips, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "I'm honored."

His father stood behind Shikamaru. And Jiraiya and Kakashi both stood beside him, just like the Sannin had said they would be standing. Pakkun was in front of his master, sneering at the members of the Akatsuki.

"We're here, Kisame." Kakashi called out, stepping forward just slightly. "And we're not here to fight. Just hand Kiba over and we can leave for good. No tricks or traps."

"Yeah, we know. You were smart to not try and double cross us." Kisame smirked, motioning to Kiba with his thumb. "The kid's got quite the nose on him."

Shikamaru didn't like the way the man seemed so easy around Kiba. He had no right to be so nonchalant after he had turned the boy's life upside down. He had no right to seem so happy.

The air was tense as both men looked at the group from Konoha. But Shikamaru just looked at Kiba with a, hopefully, soft face. He wanted Kiba to come towards them of his own volition. And he couldn't seem angered or terrified. He had to look supportive and understanding.

"Kiba, come on." Shikaku ordered from behind him and Shikamaru's eyes narrowed when he saw the Inuzuka flinch minutely.

The Inuzuka looked back at Itachi as if asking for permission. Then, when the Uchiha nodded just minutely, the boy began to walk forward. His steps were shaky but sure. His eyes, though, stayed on the ground and never looked up.

Shikamaru felt anger begin to bubble up inside of him. Kiba had _never_ looked away from someone's eyes. He followed the Inuzuka way of a dog's instincts. And dogs only avoided eye contact to avoid questioning someone's dominance. If Kiba was doing the exact same thing, it meant that he was voiding challenging any of the people there.

This wasn't right.

When Kiba got to them, he stood in front of Shikamaru. But he didn't look up to even speak to the Nara.

And this was the last straw.

"Why?"

"Shikamaru!"

"No, dad." Shikamaru shook his head, "I want to know why they did this!" Shikamaru then glared at the two cloaked men, glaring at them. "Why would you kidnap Kiba just to give him back without any struggle? Why would you put someone through all of that just to send him back without even a fight? _Why_?"

"Shikamaru..."

The Nara's anger faded just slightly when he looked away from the men and found Kiba smiling softly at him. "Don't worry..." The Inuzuka whispered, trying to make the smile even more honest, even if it was pulled back by a tenseness that shouldn't be weighing on him. "I'm alive and going home. That's all that matters."

There were tears in the Inuzuka's eyes. And Shikamaru balled his hands into fists, closing his eyes to calm himself down. He wanted to know why this had all happened. He wanted answers for his questions. But Kiba seemed to not want him to question this. And he was here to support Kiba. He risked hurting him if he didn't calm down. So, with a deep breath, Shikamaru nodded and put on a faked smile for the Inuzuka.

"Alright."

"If that is all," The Uchiha called from the edge of the forest, turning back all the attention to him. "We will be leaving. Goodbye, Kiba." Then he nodded at Kisame and both took off through the trees.

Shikamaru glared at their backs with anger edging at him. There was something off about Itachi's final words. If he didn't care about Kiba, then he wouldn't have said anything to him. Yet he had directed the goodbye straight at the Inuzuka. If he had wanted to taunt them all, he wouldn't have added Kiba's name. This was a personal goodbye. Which didn't make any sense if he didn't give any shits about Kiba.

Once the members of the Akatsuki were gone, Shikamaru looked at Kiba completely without distractions. The Inuzuka was still looking down at the floor, fiddling with the straps on the bag on his back.

There was an orange hair clip holding hair to the left side of his head. It was the kind of accessory Shikamaru would expect Ino or Sakura to wear. But he would never have expected a boy as macho as Kiba to use one.

Could this be an indicator to some kind of feminization by the Akatsuki?

Sometimes it sucked to be a Nara because it meant he was always inferring things. And this one inference brought a sour taste to Shikamaru's mouth.

Shikamaru could feel that Kiba's chakra levels had grown. It no longer felt like the kind of levels a genin would have. Instead, it was stronger. Chunin level at the least.

The boy was still looking at the floor even as Pakkun walked up to him to sniff at his feet. The men around them looked down at him with curiosity undoubtedly eating away at them, but none seemed to be about to speak up.

From the way Kiba had flinched when his father had told him to come towards them, Shikamaru knew with complete certainty that Kiba was traumatized. But just to what extent he did not know.

* * *

Jiraiya's hair reminded him of the bastard medic that had tended to his wounds. Shikaku Nara's scarred face forced Kiba to remember the scarred man that had enjoyed cutting him up with thin and shallow slices all throughout his body. And Kakashi's mask and eyepatch resembled the man that had enjoyed holding him down on the floor while the blonde bastard that had first told the group of bastards about his team's location forced himself into his battered body.

Shikamaru was the only reprieve he had from the flashbacks of everything that had hurt him. The Nara being around was a true godsend. And he, without Kiba having to explain himself, seemed to understand that he couldn't speak about anything that had happened just yet.

It hurt, though, to see those eyes burn with anger and sadness at the same time every time he ended up flinching away from any of the adults with them. Even more so when he noticed how saddened the men were whenever he did so.

"Hey, Kiba?"

This had been their second day of traveling away from the town of Midori no Mori. And from what he had heard the men whispering amongst themselves, they were only three days away from reaching Konoha.

He didn't know if he would be ready to face his family in three days. He didn't know if he would ever be ready.

Shikamaru and he sat against a large tree in the forest while the men with them scouted the area to make sure it was safe enough to camp there. But Kiba knew that, aside from scouting, they were also congregating to speak about him. It didn't take three gifted shinobi like them to scout such an area. It barely took Kakashi to do that.

"Yeah, Shika?"

His voice was quiet and still somewhat hoarse. He didn't speak up much. After Itachi had made him relive his time with those monsters, his body had felt the effects of everything that had been done to him. His whole body ached and screamed against his movements. His throat felt raw from all of the screaming he had done... But from what Kisame had told him, that wasn't just because of the genjutsu. He had apparently screamed a lot while living through the experience again.

Shikamaru shifted beside him just slightly, shoulder brushing against Kiba's own. This caused the Inuzuka to involuntarily wince, even though he forced his body to stay in the same spot with his arms wrapped around his legs, which he had pulled up in a form of cocooning himself to feel safer.

He could smell the guilt and worry wafting off of his friend, but didn't try and explain himself. It hurt too much to know that he was the cause of Shikamaru's worries. But it hurt even more to try and explain himself through all of his pain.

He had known that it would hurt to go through the genjutsu. He had known he'd revert to a state he had never wanted to go back to. But he hadn't been prepared for the reality that came after the illusion. He had known he'd act like he had the first time around and that he'd be terrified. He just hadn't known everything would be so _real_.

And this time, he didn't have any real threats looming over him. Sure, he was terrified by flashes of the men escorting him back to Konoha jumping him and using him just like those brutes had. But those worries had no actual substance. He _knew_ they would never do something like that to him. But he was so terrified of being hurt again that what he knew was pushed away by what he was scared of.

"Do..." Shikamaru drifted off for a moment before sighing, then beginning once more. "Do you want to hear a joke?"

For a second, Kiba's body stiffened. Shikamaru telling a joke? That was unheard of. But when he looked at the other boy's face, he saw the hope and trepidation inside of his eyes. And this made his body relax just slightly and a loose smile take over his lips. "Sure... What'd you got?"

"Knock knock." Shikamaru answered, voice wavering just slightly.

He had never been one for jokes. But Kiba knew that if Shikamaru was trying to tell one, it was because he really wanted to see a semblance of who Kiba once was.

"Who's there?" Kiba questioned softly, feeling amusement begin to push away at the fear and worry that gnawed on him.

"Broken kunai." With this, Shikamaru raised his hand to scratch uncomfortably at the back of his head, making Kiba's smile grow a bit more.

"Broken kunai who?" It felt good to smile honestly again. It felt good to distract himself from his mind.

"Ah forget it..." For a second, Shikamaru looked at Kiba with a small frown. But that soon turned into a crooked smile, "It's pointless."

For a moment, Kiba just blinked at the Nara. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. But soon enough, his blank face broke into a large and honest smile, giggles bubbling out. Soon those giggles became chuckles, and with a hoot of, "Get it? 'Cause it's pointless!" Kiba dissolved into a fit of laughter while Shikamaru chuckled beside him.

To many people, this would have seemed like nothing. But Kiba knew that this was a great gesture from Shikamaru. The Nara was lazy and didn't usually instigate jokes. He usually smiled at puns and jokes, but he didn't make much noise with them. He was a serious person that enjoyed being quiet. For him to actively make Kiba laugh... It proved how much he wanted to help the Inuzuka.

"You like that?" Shikamaru questioned with a smile and received a nod from Kiba. "I've got others, if you'd like to hear them."

Kiba spent the rest of that night laughing wildly at all of Shikamaru's lame jokes. He had been so distracted by them that he barely noticed when the men arrived back at the campsite. And he was so overjoyed by finally being able to laugh again and feel a sense of safety that he didn't even flinch when Jiraiya called his name to ask if he wanted some dinner.

He had been too busy laughing at the banana, banana, orange you glad I didn't say banana? joke to remember the man's similarities with the medical bastard.

* * *

Slowly, Kiba began to come out of his shell.

It bothered Kakashi to see that the Inuzuka had been so terrified of him and the other males sent to retrieve him. Especially because of how violently he had reacted when Jiraiya had made the great mistake of brushing his shoulder on the first day to ask the kid if he was okay as they had walked.

Needless to say, Kakashi now knew with certainty that his ninja training had proven to be effective. But none of them tried to touch him again after an unbelievably fast kunai came inches away from slicing Jiraiya's throat open. And none tried to get him to open up about what had happened to him during his time outside of the village out of fear of making him regress even further into himself. Just like none dared to try and wake the boy up from his nightmares after Shikaku had almost lost a hand.

Kakashi had not been around to see Kiba grow and learn as a shinobi. But he found it extremely odd that he had been able to get the jump on two skilled shinobi and almost cost them permanent harm. Although, after being forced to work for the Akatsuki for months, Kakashi guessed he shouldn't be surprised to find that the boy had acquired even more survival skills. It was just a shame to see that he was so jumpy even when around only allies.

It had been the right choice to bring Shikamaru around, though. The young Nara was the only one that could make Kiba begin to speak without shaking like a leaf. He was the only one that got more than a one syllable answer. And he was the only one that could make the inuzuka smile and laugh, even though those were shadows of the way Kiba had once smiled and laughed.

By the time they were only yards away from Konoha, Kiba didn't wear the cloaks that were the Akatsuki's uniform completely closed. Instead, he wore it open, allowing Kakashi to see the strip of a kunai pouch attached to his leg, a dark, high collared shirt, and black sandals that had a flared type of opening.

Before, he had worn the cloak completely closed. The only thing the men had been able to see of him was his face because even his feet were covered by the dark garment. Not even his fingers were visible. But from the handful of times Kiba had grabbed his food from him or Jiraiya, he had seen dark gloves that completely enveloped his fingers. Which had been odd to him, considering how members of his clan usually left their nails long and sharp. Actually, most members enjoyed mobility and freedom in their clothes. To see Kiba had covered himself almost head to toe was a big change when compared to his family members.

"It all ended up being a test from the Hokage, but it was still pretty harrowing. We legitimately thought that the village was in peril and the Hokage was going to get murdered or something!" Kiba had a small smile on his face and his eyes were shining in a way that Kakashi hadn't seen in too long. It felt good to see and hear him so energetic. He had spent too much time being dragged down.

"So the Hokage's done that to just about everyone from our class." Shikamaru murmured from beside the boy, which made the Inuzuka look at him quizzically, head cocking slightly to the side.

Even after everything that had happened to him, how much the kid had changed, Kiba still had a tiny bit of innocence and wonder left in him. And this made Kakashi hope that, maybe some day, the kid would be able to return to be the person he had once been before all of this craziness had hurt him.

"Ino and Chouji had to go on a mission similar to that with Shino and Sakura. They were made to believe that the Hokage and Shizune had been kidnapped and those face snatchers you spoke of had taken her place and had to get them back before the face snatchers blew Konoha up." Shikamaru smiled softly as he explained himself, then shrugged, "Guess the Hokage wanted to make sure the year's genin recruits were up to par for what she needed."

Even though they were walking in front of him, Shikaku, and Jiraiya, they were looking at one another every now and again. And whenever Kiba's face turned to speak to Shikamaru or just smile at him, Kakashi could see the light in his eyes. And he knew then that maybe, just maybe, Kiba would be alright given enough time to grow and heal.

~/~

When they reached the village gates, Kakashi was shocked to see an amassment of people waiting for them. Kiba's teammates, his mother and sister, Naruto, Ino, Chouji, Kurenai, Asuma, and even the Hokage and Shizune were there. Those Kakashi expected. But there were barely any members of his clan, even though Inoichi, Shibi, Hiashi, Iruka, Genma, and Ibiki _were_.

"Kiba!"

They were still far from the gates. But once he had been seen, Kiba's sister began to run up to them, eyes wide and filled with tears. And after her ran Hinata and Shino. The rest of the people waited for him at the gates, which Kakashi guessed was prudent. Although Tsume not running up to meet her son did surprise the copy nin slightly.

"Sis! Shino! Hinata!" Kiba gasped, eyes growing wide at the sight of the mentioned people.

He took off running to meet them halfway, throwing himself straight into his sister's arms without any hesitation. She laughed and cried in happiness, the smile on her face the biggest Kakashi had ever seen in his life. Tears streamed down her face as she twirled her brother around in the air, holding him tightly, before falling to her knees with him still clutched tightly. And the boy allowed himself to go after her, burrowing his face into the nook of her neck.

Shino and Hinata stood to either side of them before Kiba's hands shot out, grabbing the sleeves of their jackets to pull them into the hug. And even though they both hesitated for a second, they allowed themselves to be pulled into the group hug and wrapped their own arms around both members of the Inuzuka clan.

Even from his spot away from them, Kakashi could hear the elated shouts and whoops coming from the group waiting for Kiba at the village gates. And he could also hear the happy sobbing that came from both siblings, clearly overjoyed at finally being reunited after having spent so long forced apart.

Turning his head, the copy nin looked over at the other men that had accompanied him to find and found both of them smiling softly. They had all agreed that they wanted to know what had happened to the boy while he was caught in such a perilous situation. But they had also admitted that they risked the boy closing up entirely if they pushed too hard. So it would be best if they waited and allowed the boy to talk on his own terms.

All Kiba had told them was that he didn't want to talk about what had happened. Nothing else aside from that. He hadn't explained why he sometimes glared at Jiraiya before blinking and shaking his head in confusion. He hadn't made clear why it was that he had shouted at Kakashi to get away from him when the man had just tried to offer him some water. And he certainly hadn't given any explanation as to why he had slapped Shikaku's knife away from his hands when the made the mistake of motioning at him with it.

There was no doubt in Kakashi's mind that the boy had lived through atrocities. But he wanted to know _what_ had happened so he could try and help. In a way, it had been his fault that the boy had been taken by the Akatsuki. If he had only fought better or come up with a more efficient plan, then the boy would have been returned to Konoha months ago. In a way, Kiba was so broken because of him.

"It'll take him a lot of healing..." Shikaku began as he crossed his arms over his chest, a small smirk playing at his lips. "But with family and friends like that... Kiba'll be fine."

Jiraiya nodded softly beside the man, "You're right, Nara. Although," He stopped for a second before sighing, "It wouldn't hurt to find out what the Akatsuki made him do while he was with them."

Jiraiya's number one objective in his life, at the moment, was to stop Orochimaru. Aside from that, he worked on finding information on the Akatsuki to help in bringing it down when the time came. It was not surprising to find out that he wanted to understand why Kiba had been taken. But Kakashi knew that the man understood why they couldn't question him just yet.

"He'll eventually talk, Jiraiya." Kakashi murmured, shoving his hands into his pockets with a small smile. "We just have to be patient until that happens."

With this he moved in the direction of the hugging reunion, but moved past them and towards the village gates. Shikaku and Jiraiya followed after him without saying anything else.

When he reached the gates, he was surprised to suddenly find both Naruto and Sakura hugging him tightly. But before he could ask why they were doing this, they were both answering the unasked question. "Thank you for bringing Kiba back, Kakashi Sensei!"

Normally, he would have pushed both kids away and told them he wasn't one for hugs. But after having seen what had happened to Team 8 because of one botched mission, Kakashi had to admit, he didn't mind having both kids with him and hugging him. It was a reminder that, even though he had failed one student, he had two left to teach.

So he wrapped his arms around them both with a soft sigh. He didn't have to say anything. And from the way their grip on him tightened, both genin understood that, sometimes, there was no need for words.

~/~

"I missed you guys so much!"

They had been hugging for what felt like hours now. But Kiba hadn't wanted to let go of the three most important people in his life.

His sister was alive and smiling. She wasn't glaring at him as if he had screwed everything up. She just held him tightly to him, both Hinata and Shino hugging them both from the sides.

"And we missed you, Kiba kun!"

Hinata wasn't stuttering. But Kiba chalked that up to the adrenaline and pure joy that must have been running through her. And, while Shino didn't say a thing, Kiba knew that he must have missed him too if he was actually hugging him. Shino didn't do hugs. He was an Aburame. Yet, there he was, holding him as if there were no tomorrow.

He had thought that they would hate him after he had left them alone and worried. He had worried he'd never be allowed back into his clan. But his sister was there, sobbing and laughing in a way that was so weird yet comforting that Kiba could feel his heart bolster in happiness. Shino and Hinata were hugging him, Hinata telling him that they had missed him.

"You are _never_ making decisions on a mission again, Inuzuka."

Ah... There was the love only Shino was capable of.

With a broad smile, Kiba turned to him, moved his hands away from Hana, and launched himself at the Aburame. They both toppled over to the floor, seeing how Shino wasn't prepared for it, and Kiba laughed in pure joy. "I love you too, Shino!"

The Aburame patted his back awkwardly and Hana was laughing while Hinata giggled.

Even though his mission was only beginning, Kiba allowed himself a blissful moment of peace to come over him. He was back home. His sister and his best friends were with him. They weren't angry with him and they had missed him and they loved him.

He could deal with the rest of his reality later. For this moment, he was just content to hug Shino tightly while his sister and Hinata looked on at them.

* * *

Inoichi and Ibiki were there to interrogate him. They were in the Hokage's office after many heartfelt greetings from those that had waited for him at the village gates.

Kiba had not been able to believe that all of these people were there for him. Why would they have been? He had never been too important in Konoha, had never done anything amazing like Naruto. But Shino and Hinata's fathers had told him he had done a good job while Asuma had told him he would be taking him out for some Korean barbeque to make up for failing him. Kiba had tried to tell him that he didn't have to do that, but before he could have, Kurenai had hugged him tightly, scolded him for having interfered in his own rescue mission, then told him they would have a lot of work to do to make up for all the time they had missed.

He had been passed from person to person to be greeted and hugged. Although the men had all stayed a good distance away from him, allowing him to keep from flinching away from them involuntarily. Even though he knew he could trust all of them, there was still a voice in his mind telling him that they would hurt him. And this caused him to be more silent around them than the women or people his own age.

He had been smiling broadly at everyone and thanking them for being there. But when his eyes suddenly connected with his mother's own, the smile faded and he silenced.

His mother had been frowning deeply as she looked him over. And Kiba had begun to feel himself shake at the idea of being kicked out of the Inuzuka clan even though he had just gotten back to Konoha.

But instead of scolding him for being an idiot and kicking him out, Tsume had merely scoffed, allowed a small smile to play on her lips, and hugged him tightly.

"You have a lot of chores to catch up on, pup."

Kiba raised his hands to hug his mother with tears beginning to bite at his eyes, then sighed, "I know mom."

After that, the Hokage had stepped forward and told him that, even though she knew this was a very personal moment, she would like to speak with him as soon as possible. If they got this over now, he would be able to go back to his family and begin to rebuild his own life.

Now he was in the Hokage's office after months of having been far away from his home. Ibiki Morino and Inoichi Yamanaka stood to either side of the doors behind him, all the while Tsunade sat in front of him with Shizune to her side.

"It is only procedure, Kiba." Shizune tried, speaking softly with a small smile. "It's not that we don't believe you. But we would like to make sure that the Akatsuki didn't tamper with your mind in any way."

Kiba had smiled a lot while he had been reunited with those he loved. Now, though, he was back to an emotionless gaze as he looked at both women.

"We're not going to look at anything too bad, Kiba." Inoichi spoke up from behind him, stepping forward to place a hand on his shoulder. "It's just the memories of-"

But Kiba flew out of his chair before he could finish the explanation, slamming himself against the desk with either of his hands to his sides, glaring right at the blonde man. He had to force himself to not reach for his kunai pouch and use one to defend himself.

Inoichi's face was one of pure shock. Ibiki's was more composed, he only quirked one eyebrow at his reaction. And Kiba had to remind himself that he wasn't about to get hurt by Ino's father, he was just trying to ease him into agreeing to something he had already said he didn't want to do.

Tension fell over the whole room after he had moved. But Kiba forced himself to move, to release the tight grip he had on the desk and place his hands on his hips before they lashed out violently again.

"I... I'm sorry, Lord Inoichi." He whispered, looking down at the floor. "I just... I don't like being touched by men... It's not just against you..." He breathed out, nails beginning to dig at his hips. "I don't really-"

"It's alright." Inoichi tried to smile at him, even though Kiba could see that it was faked, and took a step back. "I was briefed one your situation. I shouldn't have done something so foolish. I should be the one apologizing, Kiba."

Beside the blonde, Ibiki crossed his arms over his broad chest. Inoichi merely settled back in the spot he had previously been in with an uncomfortable smile. And, slowly, with hesitation and trepidation clear in his every move, Kiba sat himself once more on the chair set out for him. When he looked up at the Hokage, he found the blonde looking at him with narrowed eyes.

Immediately he allowed his gaze to fall onto his lap, fingers beginning to fidget as he clasped and unclasped his hands. "I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade... Even though a few months have passed, I still..." Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought once more on what Itachi had done to make his reactions as real as possible, shaking his head softly. "Forgetting what happened to me is nearly impossible... And, no disrespect to their abilities, but I _really_ don't want to remember by having either Lord Inoichi or Ibiki traipsing around in my head."

Then he looked up at the woman, noticing how her eyes had softened minutely. "And I'll tell you everything you need to know. All in detail... But, please... I don't want men walking around in my mind... I don't want _anyone_ in there... I'm already broken enough... I don't want anyone stomping around, risking breaking me completely."

After he had finished, the room fell into another tense silence. He knew that there was a great possibility that Tsunade would ignore his pleas and have either men behind him work on his mind. They were her most trusted, after all, after years of effective and productive service. She could argue that they would never deal any lasting damage while in his head. And she could say they were the cream of the crop, the ones Kiba should be sure of leaving everything in tact without damaging anything.

"Kiba..." The woman began, guilt emanating from her.

Kiba's eyes hardened and he began to wonder what type of guilt card he could use against her.

But then Ibiki spoke up and all of his worries vanished.

"If I may, Lady Tsunade, Kiba is in no state for _anyone_ to be rifling through his memories." The scarred man stepped forward, although he kept a safe distance away from Kiba as he made his way towards the woman. "He's been traumatized and kept against his consent. Even though I am sure both Inoichi and I would be able to go through his memories without too much difficulty, there _is_ a high enough percentage of risk that makes me believe it would not be wise to go through with this procedure at the moment."

The woman looked at him with slightly pursed lips, crossing her arms over her ample chest. "You understand the urgency with which we need information on the Akatsuki, Morino."

"I do." The man nodded, but stood his ground. "I'm not saying we should not do the procedure. I'm just saying we should wait. Allow for Kiba to be rehabilitated and reintroduced to the life he was snatched from. I would not mind waiting. And I'm sure neither would Inoichi."

At this, the blonde stepped forward but stayed behind Kiba's chair. "I would not mind waiting, Lady Tsunade. He's back after facing quite the ordeal." Inoichi told her, "Allow him to settle a bit before we interrogate him more specifically."

Kiba sniffed at the air and found that both men were being honest. Neither of them smelled of anger or annoyance. It seemed that they truly wanted him to get better before they began to riffle through his memories.

And from the way the Hokage's frown softened just softly, Kiba knew that he was in the clear. For a few months, he would be safe from either interrogator getting his hands on him.

"Alright." The woman agreed, then looked at Kiba with a small smile, "Although I will need a descriptive and specific report on _everything_ that happened to you before the week ends. Have I been understood?"

"Of course, ma'am." Kiba nodded immediately, noticing the small smile that played on Shizune's lips.

All four adults in the room were relaxed and seemed okay with the agreement they had come to. Then Tsunade waved them all out, saying that she would have too much paperwork to fill out to sort through this whole mess.

Both Ibiki and Inoichi left before him. And Kiba allowed himself to breathe easily once they were gone, calm now that the men were gone from the room.

He _knew_ they weren't going to hurt him. But what he knew and he felt were two very different things. He should have learned this by now, but... It seemed he hadn't.

As he walked towards the door, Kiba heard Tsunade call out to him. And when he turned, he was once more hit by the woman smelling of guilt and unease. But when he asked her what she needed to tell him, the blonde hesitated. And then she smiled softly, even though her scent was still permeated by the guilt.

"It's good to have you back, Inuzuka. Rest up, get better. We need a skilled shinobi like you back on the frontlines."

Her words were honest. But Kiba could tell they weren't the ones she had wanted to tell him. Still, he nodded and smiled. "Of course, Lady Tsunade."

Then he stepped out and walked out of the Hokage's building. It was odd that the woman had seemingly lied to him. But Kiba couldn't really push a woman of her standing to tell him what she had wanted to say. And he also had a feeling that, just maybe, he hadn't wanted to hear what she might have said.

Once he was out and in the streets of Konoha, Kiba was met by his sister and teammates. The rest of the usual gang was with them, including Neji, Tenten, and Lee, and they were all excited to get to talk to Kiba once more. But when he noticed the three dogs his sister had with her- all of whom jumped on him and licked at him to get his attention-, Kiba noticed there was something off.

"Hey, sis?" He asked as Naruto cheered about going for a celebratory round of ramen, only to have Sakura smack him on the head.

"Yeah, Kiba?"

The boy looked down at the three dogs with curiosity and worry eating at him, then asked, "Where's Akamaru?"

His sister's smile faltered a bit at this, but she soon wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him away from all of his friends. Then, once they were out of ear shot, she whispered, "He's waiting at home for you. Said he was feeling a bit under the weather today. But he can't wait to see you again."

For some reason, his sister's words didn't feel honest. But Kiba merely smiled softly at her and nodded, "And I can't wait to see him again."

He had known that Akamaru would most probably not have liked being sent away. But it had been the only thing he could have done. They were caught in a dark and perilous situation, one that Kiba hadn't wanted Akamaru anywhere near. So he had sent him away with those he knew would keep him safe. Even though his dog undoubtedly hated the fact that Kiba had done so, Kiba stayed clear on the fact that he had done what he deemed best for his best friend.

Akamaru hadn't come because he was most probably still angry with Kiba.

But the boy didn't allow this to bother him too much. He was back in the village now. And he would sit the dog down and explain _everything_ to him, no lies or deceit. And Akamaru would see his point of view and, hopefully, agree with it.

For now, though, he had his friends and his sister. And he was feeling kind of hungry.

"So, ramen?" He called out to his friends, a large smile finding its way on his face when Naruto shouted out in pure joy.

Naruto. His mission. He knew how to grow close to the boy and how to get him to trust him. He knew that he had a job to do to keep him safe. And he'd be damned before he failed him _or_ Fū.

His mission was clear. His objective as well. And he refused to fail.

He wasn't the same kid that had left his village. He was stronger and smarter. He would do good by his friends and the organization and keep those he loved safe.

No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is it! Final chapter to the story!
> 
> I just want to say, all those that have read all these chapters and have followed this story from its infancy, there are no words to state how truly thankful I am to all of you.
> 
> And, remember, there will be a sequel; most questions will, hopefully, be answered there. Don't worry about that. 
> 
> Thank you all for your support! I really am truly grateful for all of you!


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